title: The roles of support seeking and race/ethnicity in posttraumatic growth among breast cancer survivors.
abstract: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) after cancer can minimize the emotional impact of disease and treatment; however, the facilitators of PTG, including support seeking, are unclear. The authors examined the role of support seeking on PTG among 604 breast cancer survivors ages 40 to 64 from the Health Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine predictors of support seeking (participation in support groups and confiding in health care providers) as well as the relationship between support seeking and PTG. Support program participation was moderate (61.1%) compared to the high rates of confiding in health professionals (88.6%), and African Americans were less likely to report participating than non-Hispanic Whites (odds ratio = .14, confidence intervals [0.08, 0.23]). The mean (SD) PTG score was 48.8 (27.4) (range 0-105). Support program participation (β = 10.4) and confiding in health care providers (β = 12.9) were associated (p < .001) with higher PTG. In analyses stratified by race/ethnicity, PTG was significantly higher in non-Hispanic Whites and African American support program participants (p < .01), but not significantly higher in Hispanics/Latinas. Confiding in a health care provider was only associated with PTG for non-Hispanic Whites (p = .02). Support program experiences and patient-provider encounters should be examined to determine which attributes facilitate PTG in diverse populations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences and Center for Cancer Training, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Erin.Kent@nih.gov
authors.forename: Erin E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Alfano
authors.forename: Ashley Wilder
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McTiernan
authors.forename: Kathy B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ballard-Barbash
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012944:Social Support; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data