BACKGROUND/SIGNIFICANCE: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. The diagnosis and treatment often causes intense psychological distress. However, little is known from prospective studies regarding how levels of psychological distress vary across phase of treatment or what impact age has on psychological distress in women with breast cancer. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to examine: 1) the level of psychological distress in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer across the early clinical course of their treatment and 2) the level of psychological distress based on age before, during, and after adjuvant therapy. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: The study was derived from Lazarus and Folkman’s cognitive appraisal theory, which stipulates that stress occurs when an event is perceived as stressful and exceeds available coping resources. METHOD: A convenience sample of 57 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer completed a demographic form and the Profile of Mood States. Questionnaires were collected: prior to adjuvant therapy; 3 months later during adjuvant therapy; and 6 months after baseline at the completion of adjuvant therapy. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, and age was divided into 2 groups by a median split (younger and older women) and t-tests were conducted to determine differences between the groups. DISCUSSION: Psychological distress was highest prior to adjuvant therapy and decreased significantly overtime. A trend was also noted that younger women had higher levels of psychological distress than older women at all three time periods. This study supports previous research that younger women diagnosed with breast cancer have higher levels of psychological distress than women who are older. Nursing interventions to alleviate psychological distress must be introduced early in the continuum of breast cancer care, especially for younger women, who face unique treatment-related side effects.
Session #1223 - Graduate Student Poster Session
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)