title: Marital status and optimism score among breast cancer survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are an increasing number of breast cancer survivors, but their psychosocial and supportive care needs are not well-understood. Recent work has found marital status, social support, and optimism to be associated with quality of life, but little research has been conducted to understand how these factors relate to one another.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey data from 722 breast cancer survivors were analyzed to estimate the association between marital status and optimism score, as measured using the Life Orientation Test-Revised. Linear regression was used to estimate the relationship of marital status and optimism, controlling for potential confounding variables and assessing effect modification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the association between marital status and optimism was modified by time since breast cancer diagnosis. Specifically, in those most recently diagnosed (within 5 years), married breast cancer survivors had a 1.50 higher mean optimism score than unmarried survivors (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.37, 2.62; p = 0.009). The difference in optimism score by marital status was not present more than 5 years from breast cancer diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that among breast cancer survivors within 5 years since diagnosis, those who are married have higher optimism scores than their unmarried counterparts; this association was not observed among longer-term breast cancer survivors. Future research should examine whether the difference in optimism score among this subgroup of breast cancer survivors is clinically relevant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sorkin
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gallicchio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*