Optimism versus pessimism predicts the quality of women's adjustment to early stage breast cancer
CancerPublished 15 February 1994Open access
Charles S. Carver, Christina Pozo-Kaderman, Suzanne D. Harris, V Noriega, Michael F. Scheier, David S. Robinson
Citations164
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.95
SNIP1.90
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
This study examined the personality trait of optimism versus pessimism as a predictor of adjustment over the first year, postsurgery in breast cancer patients.
Abstract
A sense of pessimism about one's life enhances a woman's risk for adverse psychological reactions to the diagnosis of, and treatment for, breast cancer. This finding suggests the potential desirability of assessing this quality informally in patients, to serve as a warning sign regarding the patient's well-being during the period surrounding and following surgery.
Keywords
PsychologyMedicine
Health PsychologyOptimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies.
5,193 Citations1985Michael F. Scheier, Charles S. Carver
Social Indicators of Well-Being: Americans' Perceptions of Life Quality
2,416 Citations1976Frank M. Andrews, Stephen B. Withey
Cognitive Therapy and ResearchEffects of optimism on psychological and physical well-being: Theoretical overview and empirical update
2,222 Citations1992Michael F. Scheier, Charles S. Carver
Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyHow coping mediates the effect of optimism on distress: A study of women with early stage breast cancer.
1,522 Citations1993Charles S. Carver, Christina Pozo +3 more
Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyDispositional optimism and recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery: The beneficial effects on physical and psychological well-being.
929 Citations1989Michael F. Scheier, Karen A. Matthews +3 more
There was a strong positive association between level of optimism and postsurgical quality of life at 6 months and dispositional optimism (as assessed prior to surgery) correlated positively with manifestations of problem-focused coping and negatively with the use of denial.
The International Journal of Psychiatry in MedicineThe Existential Plight in Cancer: Significance of the First 100 Days
659 Citations1977Avery D. Weisman, J. William Worden
Although vulnerability increased with advanced staging and many symptoms, at the time of diagnosis psychosocial distress crossed diagnostic and prognostic boundaries, enabling investigation to predict within limits those patients who will cope effectively or fail to cope with cancer and its ramifications.
American PsychologistApproaches to personality inventory construction: A comparison of merits.
537 Citations1984Matthias Burisch
Journal of Social IssuesInterpersonal Relationships and Cancer: A Theoretical Analysis
493 Citations1979Camille B. Wortman, Christine Dunkel‐Schetter
The patient's reaction to the illness and others' responses toward the patient are explored, and the ultimate impact of these relationships on the patient's emotional adjustment to the disease is explored.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical PsychologyPsychological interventions for cancer patients to enhance the quality of life.
400 Citations1992Barbara L. Andersen
Experimental and quasi-experimental studies of psychological interventions are reviewed, and discussion of treatment components and mechanism is offered.
Cognitive Therapy and ResearchOptimism, pessimism, and postpartum depression
362 Citations1987Charles S. Carver, Joan Gollin Gaines
CancerPsychosocial adjustment in women with breast cancer
271 Citations1991D. Irvine, Barbara Brown +3 more
Few of the studies investigating psychosocial adjustment of women with breast cancer meet all of the criteria for reviewing studies of clinical course and prognosis, so studies are needed that employ prospective designs and that deliberately measure or control for the extraneous prognostic variables that may affect adjustment.
Journal of Chronic DiseasesDepression and body image following mastectomy and lumpectomy
180 Citations1987Jean-Claude M. Lasry, Richard G. Margolese +6 more
The psychological and social adjustment following total and partial mastectomy in a group of patients randomly assigned to one or the other operation (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Protocol--B-06) is investigated.
CancerPsychosocial outcome in a randomized surgical trial for treatment of primary breast cancer
171 Citations1988Margaret Kemeny, David K. Wellisch +1 more
The importance of the segmentectomy option for women with breast cancer in leading to a better quality of life is restressed, with women with segmentectomies responding as significantly less anxious, less sad, and more in control of their life events.
CancerIllness-related and treatment-related factors in psychological adjustment to breast cancer
165 Citations1985Shelley E. Taylor, Rosemary R. Lichtman +4 more
Poor prognosis and more radical surgery both independently predicted poor psychological adjustment, and the effect of type of surgery appeared to be mediated by the patient's sense of disfigurement and by changes in the sexual and affectional patterns in the marriage.
Journal of Clinical OncologyAbsence of major depressive disorder in female cancer patients.
150 Citations1985Shirley B. Lansky, M. A. List +5 more
The findings indicate that the prevalence of major depression in cancer patients is lower than many previous studies have indicated and falls within the range seen in the general population.
Journal of Clinical OncologyEffects of mastectomy versus lumpectomy on emotional adjustment to breast cancer: a prospective study of the first year postsurgery.
146 Citations1992C Pozo, Charles S. Carver +7 more
A lack of difference between surgical groups in areas other than sexual adjustment replicates previous findings, but extends them by providing data on the period surrounding the surgery (as well as later periods), and examining a broader range of indices of well-being than usual.
CancerPsychological response to mastectomy. A prospective comparison study
145 Citations1987Psychological aspects of breast cancer study group
The findings suggest that healthy women without prior psychiatric disorder or concurrent physical illness experienced some post‐surgical distress, primarily in psychosocial functioning which was more than that in women after cholecystectomy or biopsy, but severe psychopathological symptoms over the year following surgery were conspicuously absent.
American Journal of PsychiatryPsychological outcome of lumpectomy versus mastectomy in the treatment of breast cancer
144 Citations1985Steinberg, Juliano Ma +1 more
Lumpectomy patients reported less of a loss of feelings of attractiveness and femininity, were less self-conscious about their appearance, received more emotional support from friends, and were more open about their surgery and sexual feelings after surgery.
Breast Cancer Research and TreatmentPsychosocial and physical outcomes of primary breast cancer therapy: Mastectomy vs excisional biopsy and irradiation
141 Citations1983Wendy S. Schain, Brenda K. Edwards +5 more
Patients treated for primary breast cancer as part of a prospective randomized clinical trial were questioned retrospectively as to their psychosocial adaptation to treatment, and there were no marked psychossocial differences detected between these groups.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*PhysicsPsychological effects of breast conserving therapy in comparison with radical mastectomy
140 Citations1985Harry Bartelink, Frits van Dam +1 more
Body image in the BCT group was significantly more positive than in the RM group and patients treated with BCT had even less fear of recurrence of the cancer and would, if necessary, choose the same treatment again.
Journal of Research in PersonalityYou don't always get what you pay for: Measuring depression with short and simple versus long and sophisticated scales
137 Citations1984Matthias Burisch
The American Journal of the Medical SciencesEarly diagnosis of vulnerability in cancer patients
129 Citations1976Avery D. Weisman
Vulnerability was but one parameter that measured emotional distress and faltering capacity to cope with concurrent problems and it was found that the more vulnerable patients had more symptoms when first diagnosed, and that systemic symptoms were more significant than the type of CA or the staging.
CancerA comparison of the psychological effects of breast-saving procedure with the modified radical mastectomy
127 Citations1981Clare King Sanger, Marvin Reznikoff
It was concluded that marital satisfaction is stable regardless of the surgical procedure undergone to treat the breast cancer, and there was no difference in the psychological adjustment of the two groups.
PubMedEvaluation of breast conserving therapy: clinical, methodological and psychosocial perspectives.
105 Citations1988Aaronson Nk, H. Bartelink +2 more
Uncontrolled studies suggest that breast conserving therapy can replace radical mastectomy in stage I and stage II breast cancer, and results derived from randomized trials support this conclusion for stage I patients.
PsychosomaticsPsychosocial Outcomes of Breast Cancer Therapies: Lumpectomy Versus Mastectomy
103 Citations1989David K. Wellisch, Robin DiMatteo +7 more
The results of this study generally validate those found in comparable studies showing that lumpectomy promotes a more intact body image but that no surgical procedure either produces or inhibits psychological symptomatology.
Women & HealthThe Impact of Mastectomy on Self-Concept and Social Function
91 Citations1987Doris Penman, Joan R. Bloom +11 more
The study suggests that post-mastectomy women vulnerable to poorer outcome would be those with lower expectations of good quality social support, other present life stressors, other pre-existing chronic diseases, and a disposition to believe in life outcomes as less under their own control.
PsychosomaticsPsychological Effects of Breast-Conserving Cancer Treatment and Mastectomy
86 Citations1990Gerald J. Margolis, Robert L. Goodman +1 more
Patients in the early stages of breast cancer were studied one year after treatment to ascertain the psychological effects of mastectomy and a breast-conserving alternative, lumpectomy plus radiation therapy, which found patients felt less attractive, less sexually desirable, and more ashamed of their breasts.
Journal of Surgical OncologyQuality of life after breast cancer surgery
86 Citations1985J.C.J.M. de Haes, K Welvaart
The body image of patients is more severely impaired after mastectomy than after tumorectomy (P < .01), and patients' quality of life 11 months after surgery is studied.
CancerA crisis to grow on
62 Citations1971Roberta Klein
Crisis intervention techniques are delineated here that can be helpful to all breast cancer patients, in particular the mastectomy patient, and the contention is that wider use of such techniques by professionals and those who immediately surround the patient could better insure the patient's successful rehabilitation.