title: Changes in importance of work and vocational satisfaction during the 2 years after breast cancer surgery and factors associated with this.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate how women, during the 2 years following breast cancer surgery, rate importance of work and vocational satisfaction, and baseline factors associated with rating over time.
  
  
  
  A prospective cohort study of 692 women aged 20-63 included about 4 weeks after a first breast cancer surgery. Register data on treatment and data from six repeated questionnaires during a 2-year follow-up (at baseline, 4, 8, 12, 18, 24 months) were used in two-way mixed repeated analysis of variance and mixed repeated measures analysis of covariance.
  
  
  
  The women rated importance of work (m = 3.74; sd 0.88) (maximum 5) and vocational satisfaction (m = 4.30; sd 1.38) (maximum 6) high during the 2 years. Women with planned chemotherapy rated lower vocational satisfaction and especially so at 4 months after inclusion (F 1, 498 = 8.20; p = 0.004). Higher age, better physical, and mental/social work ability at baseline influenced rating of vocational satisfaction. Supportive colleagues was an important covariate that significantly affected ratings of importance of work as well as vocational satisfaction, i.e., women with better support rated on average higher on these outcomes. The effect of chemotherapy disappeared after including the abovementioned baseline covariates.
  
  
  
  Women diagnosed with breast cancer in the following 2 years rate importance of work and vocational satisfaction high, which are associated to lower work ability and social support.
  
  
  
  Work is a very important aspect in life also after a cancer diagnosis, which has to be acknowledged when discussing treatment and rehabilitation plans with women with breast cancer. Furthermore, workplace support needs to be assessed as this is an influential factor.
authors.affiliation: Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. marie.i.nilsson@ki.se.|Division of Social Work, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. marie.i.nilsson@ki.se.|Department of Social Work, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. marie.i.nilsson@ki.se.
authors.forename: Marie I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.|Red Cross University College, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saboonchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alexanderson
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Work, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mariann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.affiliation: Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.|Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wennman-Larsen
authors.affiliation: Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.|Division of Nursing, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lena-Marie
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Petersson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012042:Registries; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors; D013548:Sweden; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Breast cancer; Trajectory/change; Vocational satisfaction; Work importance