Women’s anxieties surrounding breast disorders: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

A systematic review of the research literature published in English between 1990 and 1999 was carried out to discover whether women with benign breast disorders suffer similar amounts of anxiety to women with breast cancer in the time between discovery of the problem and receiving a diagnosis, to include the immediate postdiagnosis phase. The study was limited to primary research papers with explicit methodology applicable to hospital specialist breast clinics where the main focus of the papers was anxiety and/or psychological distress. Studies focusing exclusively on routine breast screening or exclusively on women with previously diagnosed breast cancer were omitted. A protocol for the review was agreed at the outset, addressing selection criteria, search procedures, methods of data extraction and analysis, and dissemination. Search terms were refined as the study progressed. A data extraction tool was constructed based on Benton and Cormack's framework (Benton & Cormack 1996, pp. 80-81). An initial search revealed 89 papers. Fourteen papers were found to meet the criteria for inclusion. The main findings were that women with benign breast disorders and those with breast cancer suffered from similar levels of anxiety and psychological distress in the period from first being aware of the problem up to the time of receiving a diagnosis. Anxiety levels were found to fall more quickly in women with benign disorders postdiagnosis. Methodological flaws were detracted from the rigour of many of the studies. Implications for practice are discussed.

Determinants of Participation in a Breast Cancer Screening Trial in Trivandrum District, India

“…Breast cancer awareness campaigns must impart the important message that it is the delay rather than the diagnosis itself that should be feared. Being screened positively during a CBE causes distress and possibly has a negative 2005; Woodward and Webb, 2001). Therefore, health care workers in any screening programme should be women, to be able to motivate them to attend the breast clinic and to keep women's stress as low as possible, e.g.…”

Impact of Relaxation Training According to Yoga in Daily Life® System on Perceived Stress After Breast Cancer Surgery

“…1,2 This distress is in itself both disabling and indicative of poorer overall recovery. 3,4 Estimates of the prevalence of significant psychological distress or disruption such as depression, anxiety, chronic sorrow, feelings of sadness, anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, fatigue specific to surgery, fatigue specific to chemotherapy, fatigue specific to radiation, and hopelessness have ranged from between 23% and 85% of breast cancer population studied.…”

“…3,4 Estimates of the prevalence of significant psychological distress or disruption such as depression, anxiety, chronic sorrow, feelings of sadness, anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, fatigue specific to surgery, fatigue specific to chemotherapy, fatigue specific to radiation, and hopelessness have ranged from between 23% and 85% of breast cancer population studied. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] This variation is partly because of the fact that psychological distress varies with the type of cancer treatment and the stage of cancer. Despite the prevailing belief that patients with early stages of breast cancer and good prognoses should have "nothing to worry about," it is apparent that patients with newly diagnosed cancer, regardless of their prognosis, exhibit symptoms of psychological distress.…”

Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety: Relationship to Social Support and Functional Status among Patients with Breast Cancer Surgery

“…Previous studies of social support have reported that women with suspected breast cancer who received good social support were less emotional distress and anxiety and more adaptive coping responses. [18][19][20][21] Also, longitudinal studies of social support for breast cancer patients found significant relationships between social support and psychological states. [22] Functional status has been used as a primary outcome measure in recent decades.…”