title: Fear of cancer recurrence in young early-stage breast cancer survivors: the role of metacognitive style and disease-related factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common challenge of cancer survivorship, particularly in younger survivors. Maladaptive metacognitions have been shown to be important to the development of a range of emotional disorders but have not previously been explored in the context of FCR.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to explore the relationship between FCR and a maladaptive metacognitions.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included young women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at least 1 year prior to study entry. Participants completed a web-based questionnaire, which included the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) and the brief Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30). Linear regression was used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted slope estimates of the association of FCR with six metacognition variables, the total score of the MCQ-30 and the five subscales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-hundred and eighteen women with a mean age of 39 years at diagnosis participated. All measures of metacognitive style were moderately correlated with FCRI scores (r=0.31-0.49) and significantly associated with FCRI in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Overall metacognitive style explained 36% of the variance in FCR scores in combination with disease and demographic factors. Negative metacognitions (R(2) =0.32) and need for control over cognition (R(2)=0.26) were the MCQ-30 subscales most associated with higher FCR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Unhelpful metacognitions appear to play an important role in FCR in young women with early-stage breast cancer. Treatments that focus on changing unhelpful metacognitions may prove a useful approach for treating clinical FCR in cancer survivors in the future.
authors: Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-Based Decision Making, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. bthewes@usyd.edu.au
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Thewes
authors: M L
authors: ML
authors: Bell
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Butow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000523:psychology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: breast cancer; cancer; fear of recurrence; metacognition; oncology