Personality traits and psychosocial stress: quality of life over 2 years following breast cancer diagnosis and psychological impact factors

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the quality of life (QoL) and body image among breast cancer patients over 2 years and to examine different predictive factors for QoL 2 years after the primary operation.Methods: A total of 203 women with a primary diagnosis of breast cancer completed the questionnaires 2 weeks and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery. Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30), Breast Cancer Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire Module (QLQ-BR23), Questionnaire on Stress in Cancer Patients (QSC-R23), Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI-R), Life Orientation Test (LOT) were used as standardized measures.Results: The overall QoL and most functional and symptom scales improved during the 2-year period. However, cognitive functioning, body image, and the three symptom scales of insomnia, constipation, and diarrhea did not change. Age was only capable of predicting physical functioning, whereas tumor size, axillary surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy were not predictive of the long-term QoL functional scores. Initial distress was the most potent predictive factor for long-term QoL. Baseline functioning predicted functional QoL scores 2 years later. And higher scores for neuroticism were associated with a poorer QoL. However, optimism was not capable of predicting the QoL 2 years later.Conclusion: Screening measures should be implemented at the time when breast cancer is diagnosed, in order to identify psychologically vulnerable patients and offer them professional psycho-oncological help.

Depressive Symptoms, Correlates, and the Marital Relationship in Women with Breast Cancer in Saudi Arabia

“…24 Other factors that increase risk of depression include a past history of psychiatric illness, 25 neurotic personality traits, 26 and ethnic/emigrant status. 27 Another factor related to depression in women with breast cancer is lack of a confiding relationship, and the most confiding relationship in this regard is often the spouse.…”

Quality of life in breast cancer: the benefits of pet ownership and participation in leisure activities

“…For the World Health Organization, the term QoL is defined as an individual's perception of his or her life position, in the context of culture, value system in which they live, regarding their goals, expectations, standards and concerns 2 . So, it is understood that several specific factors may change the QoL of a cancer patient, in addition to the tumor itself, such as the patient's ability to cope with the illness and the presence or absence of a supportive environment during the period 3,4 . Based on this background, and on the many factors that can cover QoL, it is believed that the QoL of patients with breast cancer can benefit from pet ownership, as well as those benefits are reported in several populations [5][6][7] .…”

The Effect of Personal Counselling on Anxiety, Depression, Quality of Life and Satisfaction in Patients With Breast Cancer

“…While the methods used in the treatment of breast cancer extend the lifetime of the patient, they may also cause problems such as anxiety, depression, distortion of body image, infection, nausea, vomiting, and skin burns (2)(3)(4)(5). Among all symptoms, anxiety and depression are most often reported by cancer patients (6,7). In the studies conducted, it was stated that 30 to 50% of the women experienced anxiety and depression within the first year following mastectomy (4,5,8,9).…”

“…In the case of a long-lasting treatment, the intense experience of uncertainty leads to despair causing depression (10). It was also demonstrated that anxiety and depression had an adverse impact on the quality of life (6,10).…”

“…It was determined that cancer patients and their families experienced intense anxiety and stress because of inadequate information in the perioperative period (15). Women with breast cancer need help in dealing with this situation (2,6,16).…”