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Open Access 01-10-2008 | Original Article

Course of Distress in Breast Cancer Patients, Their Partners, and Matched Control Couples

Authors: Chris Hinnen, Ph.D., Adelita V. Ranchor, Ph.D., Robbert Sanderman, Ph.D., Tom A. B. Snijders, Ph.D., Mariët Hagedoorn, Ph.D., James C. Coyne, Ph.D.

Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 2/2008

Abstract

Background

Previous studies offer a limited perspective on the dynamic course of distress in cancer patients and their partners, owing to a restricted number of assessment points and the absence of comparison controls drawn from the general population.

Purpose

This study investigated the course of distress among breast cancer patients and their partners (N = 92 couples) in comparison to matched control couples (N = 64). Furthermore, the influence of neuroticism on distress was investigated.

Method

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was administered nine times over a 12-month period, and neuroticism was assessed at the beginning of the study using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.

Results

Multilevel analyses revealed that patients were more distressed during the first 15 months after diagnosis than nonpatients. A significant portion of the distress that could not be explained by the cancer experience was explained by neuroticism.

Conclusion

Differences in distress between patients and comparison-control women are relatively small and decreased over time, while distress in male partners was not elevated in comparison to their controls.

To test whether the skewness of the continuous distress measure impacted the results, the residual variance was allowed to differ between patients and nonpatients. These additional analyses showed no differences in the effects tested.

A separate investigation of the anxiety and depression subscales of the HADS produced a similar pattern of the results as the full scale with only two exceptions. That is, males scored significantly lower on anxiety than women β = −0.98 (SE = 0.42), p < 0.05, but no differences between men and women were found in depressive symptoms, β = 0.26 (SE = 0.35), p > 0.05. Moreover, overall, patients were not found to report more anxiety, β = 0.72 (SE = 0.55), p > 0.05, but they were found to report more depressive symptoms than control women β = 1.06 (SE = 0.45), p < 0.05.

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Title: Course of Distress in Breast Cancer Patients, Their Partners, and Matched Control Couples
Authors: Chris Hinnen, Ph.D.
Adelita V. Ranchor, Ph.D.
Robbert Sanderman, Ph.D.
Tom A. B. Snijders, Ph.D.
Mariët Hagedoorn, Ph.D.
James C. Coyne, Ph.D.
Publication date: 01-10-2008
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 2/2008
Print ISSN: 0883-6612
Electronic ISSN: 1532-4796
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-008-9061-8

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Course of Distress in Breast Cancer Patients, Their Partners, and Matched Control Couples

Abstract

Background

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

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