title: Psychosocial factors and the development of breast cancer: a meta-analysis.
abstract: A meta-analysis examined the relationship between psychosocial factors and the development of breast cancer. Average effect sizes (Hedges's g) were calculated from 46 studies for 8 major construct categories: anxiety/depression, childhood family environment, conflict-avoidant personality, denial/repression coping, anger expression, extraversion-introversion, stressful life events, and separation/loss. Significant effect sizes were found for denial/repression coping (g = .38), separation/loss experiences (g = .29), and stressful life events (g = .25). Although conflict-avoidant personality style was also significant (g = .19), the effect size was less robust, and a moderate number of future studies with null results would reduce the significance. Results overall support only a modest association between specific psychosocial factors and breast cancer and are contrary to the conventional wisdom that personality and stress influence the development of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Ilinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zevon
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Corn
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rounds
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment