title: Distress and body image disturbances in women with breast cancer in the immediate postsurgical period: The influence of attachment insecurity.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess, in the immediate postsurgical period, the influence of attachment avoidance and anxiety on distress and body image disturbances in women facing breast cancer. Seventy-five women participated in the study 3 weeks after surgery. Questionnaires were used to assess study variables. To predict distress and body image disturbances, we controlled for several variables known to influence adjustment to the stress of breast cancer. The results of hierarchical regression analyses show that attachment explains the outcomes above and beyond other influential variables. Insecurely attached women are especially vulnerable to the stress of the disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Switzerland nicolas.favez@unige.ch.|Distance Learning University, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Favez
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cairo Notari
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charvoz
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Notari
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Switzerland.|Distance Learning University, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ghisletta
authors.affiliation: University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bénédicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Panes Ruedin
authors.affiliation: University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Delaloye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: attachment; body image; breast cancer; distress; immediate postsurgical period