title: Affective differentiation in breast cancer patients.
abstract: Fifty-three breast cancer patients completed an Internet-based diary measuring daily negative affect and positive affect and daily negative and positive events for seven consecutive evenings shortly after surgery. The authors used Hierarchical Linear Modeling (Raudenbush and Bryk in Hierarchical linear models: applications and data analysis methods. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2002) to examine moderators of affective differentiation, or the daily relationship between the patients' negative affect and positive affect. Strong affective differentiation is characterized by the relative independence of negative and positive affect. There were no significant Level 1 (within-subject) moderators of affective differentiation. However, at Level 2 (between-subject), as predicted, increased age was associated with stronger affective differentiation, as was greater use of planning to cope with breast cancer. Also as predicted, increased anxiety and greater use of behavioral disengagement and denial coping were associated with weaker affective differentiation. The results suggest the value of the affective differentiation construct, and a daily diary methodology, for research on the daily lives of breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Dasch
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belcher
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Laurenceau
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: Brendt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parrish
authors.forename: Elana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Graber
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires