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Relationships between emotional control, adjustment to cancer and depression and anxiety in breast cancer patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Maggie Watson ,
Steven Greer ,
Linda Rowden ,
Christine Gorman ,
Bernadette Robertson ,
Judith M. Bliss  and
Robert Tunmore
Maggie Watson*
Affiliation:
Cancer Research Campaign Psychological Medicine Research Group and the Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
Steven Greer
Affiliation:
Cancer Research Campaign Psychological Medicine Research Group and the Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
Linda Rowden
Affiliation:
Cancer Research Campaign Psychological Medicine Research Group and the Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
Christine Gorman
Affiliation:
Cancer Research Campaign Psychological Medicine Research Group and the Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
Bernadette Robertson
Affiliation:
Cancer Research Campaign Psychological Medicine Research Group and the Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
Judith M. Bliss
Affiliation:
Cancer Research Campaign Psychological Medicine Research Group and the Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
Robert Tunmore
Affiliation:
Cancer Research Campaign Psychological Medicine Research Group and the Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Maggie Watson, CRC Psychological Medicine Group, The Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT.
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Synopsis

The possible relationship between psychological responses among breast cancer patients and discase outcome continues to be an area of controversy and debate. Two parallel findings are reported separately in the literature: first, that emotional control is more common among women with breast cancer than in women with benign breast disease or in healthy controls and second, that a helpless attitude towards the disease is related to a poor prognosis.

These previously unrelated psychological responses are examined here in a group of women (N = 359) with early stage breast cancer, who were seen one to three months after diagnosis. The relationships between emotional control, adjustment to cancer and psychological morbidity were examined. Prevalence levels of 16 and 6% were observed for anxiety and depression respectively, which are lower than reported more generally in the literature. The results indicated a highly significant association between scores for the tendency to control emotional reactions and a fatalistic attitude toward cancer. A significant association was observed between anger control and a helpless attitude. Psychological morbidity was also linked to type of adjustment to cancer. The data are interpreted in terms of a process model of psychological responses which suggests that emotional control (an important component of the Type C behaviour pattern) fatalism, helplessness and psychological morbidity are linked.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , February 1991 , pp. 51 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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