Finding Benefit in Breast Cancer During the Year After Diagnosis Predicts Better Adjustment 5 to 8 Years After Diagnosis.

Abstract

Cancer patients experience positive as well as adverse consequences from diagnosis and treatment. The study reported here examined longer term reverberations of such experiences. A set of benefit-finding items along with measures of well-being were completed by 230 early-stage breast cancer patients in the year postsurgery. Four to 7 years later, 96 of them again completed measures of well-being. Controlling for initial distress and depression, initial benefit finding in this sample predicted lower distress and depression at follow-up.

Curvilinear associations between benefit finding and psychosocial adjustment to breast cancer.

“…Analyses of linear effects, as reported in Carver and Antoni (2004), showed that long-term BF was associated with long-term quality of life, positive affect, negative affect, and social disruption but not long-term CES-D. Quadratic effects were observed in all five variables. As shown in Figure 2 In addition to these two effects for positive outcomes, crosssectional curvilinear effects also emerged for the three indicators of adverse reactions: the index of negative affect, CES-D scores, and the index of social disruption.…”

“…Women in Study 1 were part of a natural history study that assessed adjustment to breast cancer at 3, 6, or 12 months following surgery (referred to here as the initial assessment) and then again at 5-8 years postdiagnosis (Carver & Antoni, 2004). Study 2 examined women recruited 2-8 weeks after surgery for a psychosocial intervention study (Antoni et al, 2001).…”

“…The sample used for follow-up analyses is the one reported on previously by Carver and Antoni (2004). Of the starting sample, 101 (44%) were located and completed reassessment between 5-8 years postsurgery.…”

“…We created the ABS positive affect index as suggested by the scale's authors. As did Carver and Antoni (2004), we used only the subset of negative affect items that overlapped with the measure used earlier. In both cases, relevant item responses were averaged.…”

Optimistic Personality and Psychosocial Well-Being During Treatment Predict Psychosocial Well-Being Among Long-Term Survivors of Breast Cancer.

“…Medical and demographic characteristics of this sample are listed in Table 1; these data were collected in the initial studies, with the exception of time since treatment. 1 A subset of these participants had also completed a measure of finding benefit in the experience of cancer; the role of that variable as a predictor of later well-being is discussed elsewhere (Carver & Antoni, 2004).…”