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International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Published in: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 1/2024

31-01-2023 | Insomnia | Full length manuscript

Perceived Executive Functioning Deficits After Diagnosis in Women with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Prior to Adjuvant Therapies

Authors: Sheila N. Garland, Joshua Tulk, Nicole Rodriguez, Joshua A. Rash, Jonathan M. Fawcett, Joy McCarthy, Melanie Seal, Kara Laing

Published in: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 1/2024

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Abstract

Background

Perceived deficits in executive functioning are among the many difficulties that women diagnosed with breast cancer experience. This study assessed the presence of perceived deficits in executive functioning among women with breast cancer prior to systemic treatment and radiation and associations between perceived deficits in executive function and comorbid fatigue, sleep, and mood disturbance.

Method

Participants were recruited following their breast cancer diagnosis and assessed using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for Adults (BRIEF-A), subjective and objective measures of sleep duration and efficiency, and self-report measures of insomnia severity, sleep quality, fatigue, and mood disturbance. Hierarchical regression was used to examine associations between symptoms, adjusting for age and education.

Results

The final sample included 92 women with a mean age of 60.7 years and 13.5 years of education. Thirteen percent of participants reported global executive dysfunction. After partitioning out variability from other independent variables, fatigue (p = < .001), perceived sleep quality (p = .030), and symptoms of insomnia (p = .008) accounted for 13.3%, 5.7%, and 8.5% of unique variance in perceived executive functioning, respectively. Emotional fatigue was most strongly associated with perceived deficits in executive functioning. Neither subjective or objective sleep duration or efficiency was associated with perceived deficits in executive functioning.

Conclusion

Fatigue, particularly emotional fatigue, insomnia, and poor sleep quality had the strongest associations with perceived deficits in executive functioning. Sleep interventions and fatigue management strategies may prove useful for women who seek to improve their perceived executive functioning.
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Metadata
Title
Perceived Executive Functioning Deficits After Diagnosis in Women with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Prior to Adjuvant Therapies
Authors
Sheila N. Garland
Joshua Tulk
Nicole Rodriguez
Joshua A. Rash
Jonathan M. Fawcett
Joy McCarthy
Melanie Seal
Kara Laing
Publication date
31-01-2023
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 1/2024
Print ISSN: 1070-5503
Electronic ISSN: 1532-7558
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-023-10153-6

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