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.
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. Jessica.Tartaro@asu.edu
Jessica
J
Tartaro
Jonathan
J
Roberts
Chiara
C
Nosarti
Tim
T
Crayford
Linda
L
Luecken
Anthony
A
David
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*