title: An environmental intervention to restore attention in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.
abstract: Earlier research indicated that attentional fatigue with reduced capacity to direct attention in women treated for breast cancer may be ameliorated by a theoretically based intervention involving regular exposure to the natural environment. This study tested the efficacy of a natural environment intervention aimed at restoring attention in 157 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Capacity to direct attention was assessed with a brief battery of objective measures at two time points: approximately 17 days before surgery (time 1) and 19 days after surgery (time 2). A randomly assigned intervention protocol was initiated after the first assessment and before any treatment. The intervention comprised a home-based program involving 120 minutes of exposure to the natural environment per week. The intervention group (n = 83) showed greater recovery of capacity to direct attention from the pretreatment (time 1) to the preadjuvant therapy period (time 2), as compared with the nonintervention group (n = 74). A significant effect of the natural environment intervention was observed even after control was used for the effects of age, education, attention scores at time 1, other health problems, symptom distress, and extent of surgery. The findings suggest therapeutic benefits for capacity to direct attention from early intervention aimed at restoring attention in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, 400 North Ingalls, Room 2172, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0482, USA. cimprich@umich.edu
authors.forename: Bernadine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cimprich
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ronis
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001288:Attention; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000523:psychology; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D010944:Plants; D012064:Relaxation Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome