Low Carissa A, Stanton Annette L
Biobehavioral Medicine in Oncology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh.
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
Health Psychol. 2015 Jan;34(1):89-92. doi: 10.1037/hea0000052. Epub 2014 Jan 20.
Women with breast cancer are at increased risk of depression, and the extent to which valued activities are disrupted by one's illness has been correlated with depressive symptoms in women with early stage breast cancer. This association has not been examined in women with Stage IV (metastatic) cancer, and the temporal directionality of this relationship remains unclear. The goal of the current study was to examine longitudinal, reciprocal relationships between illness-related disruption of social and recreational activities and self-reported symptoms of depression in a sample of women living with Stage IV breast cancer.
Participants were 103 women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Women completed measures of depressive symptoms and activity disruption at study entry (T1) and at 3-month follow-up (T2).
Activity disruption at study entry did not significantly predict changes in total depressive symptoms or in negative affective or somatic symptoms but did predict reductions in positive affect. Total depressive symptoms at study entry predicted increases in activity disruption, as did negative affective symptoms.
Depressive symptoms, specifically negative affective symptoms such as sadness, may exacerbate social and recreational activity disruption in women with metastatic breast cancer. Cancer-related activity disruption may, in turn, result in reductions in positive affect. These results highlight the importance of examining specific constellations of depressive symptoms and suggest that maintaining valued activities may help to preserve enjoyment of life for patients with Stage IV cancer.
乳腺癌女性患抑郁症的风险增加，疾病对重要活动的干扰程度与早期乳腺癌女性的抑郁症状相关。这种关联在IV期（转移性）癌症女性中尚未得到研究，且这种关系的时间方向性仍不明确。本研究的目的是在IV期乳腺癌女性样本中，检验与疾病相关的社交和娱乐活动干扰与自我报告的抑郁症状之间的纵向、相互关系。
参与者为103名被诊断为转移性乳腺癌的女性。女性在研究开始时（T1）和3个月随访时（T2）完成抑郁症状和活动干扰的测量。
研究开始时的活动干扰并不能显著预测总抑郁症状或负面情绪或躯体症状的变化，但能预测积极情绪的降低。研究开始时的总抑郁症状以及负面情绪症状均能预测活动干扰的增加。
抑郁症状，尤其是悲伤等负面情绪症状，可能会加剧转移性乳腺癌女性的社交和娱乐活动干扰。而与癌症相关的活动干扰反过来可能会导致积极情绪降低。这些结果凸显了检查特定抑郁症状组合的重要性，并表明维持重要活动可能有助于IV期癌症患者保持生活乐趣。
