Analysis of factors associated with increased psychological distress in new outpatients at the breast clinic.

Abstract

Abstract Abstract #3110 Objective: To determine how psychological characteristics, subjective symptoms, and a family history of breast cancer affect the mood states of outpatients with mammary gland complains at the first hospital visit.
 Participants and methods: Written consent to participate in the study was provided by 242 outpatients with mammary gland complains at Kitasato University hospital from November 2004 to January 2007. Participants either visited our hospital directly, or were referred here from another clinic. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires determining scales of the following: trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventry-Trait; STAI-Trait), negative emotion suppression (Courtauld Emotional Control Scale; CECS), life stress events (Life Experiences Survey; LES), and mood states (Profile of Mood States; POMS) and return them either by mail or at the time of the next clinical examination. In addition, we examined subjective symptoms (lump, pain, abnormal nipple discharge, or deformed nipple) and family history of breast cancer based on answers to the interview sheet filled out by patients on their first visit to the hospital. We excluded 45 patients who submitted incomplete answers, 38 who did not reply, and 5 who were considered to be ineligible for other reasons. The analysis covered a total of 154 patients (age (years); mean=49.94, SD=12.22). Approval for this study was granted by the Institutional Review Board of Kitasato University School of Medicine and Hospital.
 Results and conclusion: We performed multiple regression analysis (forced entry method) to assess how mood states (POMS score) are affected by the following factors: age at the time of first visit, trait anxiety (STAI-Trait score), emotional suppression (CECS score), number of life stress events (LES total score), number of negative evaluations of life stress events (LES balance score), subjective symptoms, and a family history of breast cancer. We obtained a significant model (adjusted R2=0.558, p<0.01) in which trait anxiety, emotional suppression, number of life stress events, and the standard partial regression coefficient of subjective symptoms were found to be statistically significant (beta=0.618, 0.111, 0.181, 0.118; p<0.05, respectively). This suggests that mood states at the first visit are less positive when patients have high trait anxiety, emotional suppression, many life stress events, and subjective symptoms. In particular, trait anxiety had a particularly large impact on mood states, indicating the importance of psychological assistance. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3110.