Who benefits?: distress, adjustment and benefit-finding among breast cancer survivors.
The current study explored distress and adjustment over time and a woman's ability to find benefit in her experience of breast cancer. Over 700 women were initially assessed at a pre-diagnostic visit to a breast clinic. Of those who were originally diagnosed, 39 women participated in all four study assessments, completed over a two-and-one-half-year period following diagnosis. Compared to non-benefit-finders, women who reported finding benefits in their breast cancer experienced high levels of distress pre-diagnostically, which significantly declined over time. Results of the current study suggest that a woman's distress prior to receiving her diagnosis of breast cancer may be related to her ability to find benefit during later stages of her illness.
Tartaro
Jessica
J
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. Jessica.Tartaro@asu.edu
Roberts
Jonathan
J
Nosarti
Chiara
C
Crayford
Tim
T
Luecken
Linda
L
David
Anthony
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*