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Greater Post-Surgical Pain Predicts Long-Term Depressed Affect in Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Coping.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Fisher, HM; Taub, CJ; Lechner, SC; Antoni, MH
Published in: Eur J Health Psychol
October 2021

BACKGROUND: Depressed affect is observed during primary treatment for early-stage breast cancer and often persists into survivorship. Pain can influence the long-term emotions of women with breast cancer. Behavioral mechanisms explaining this relationship are less clear. Coping during primary treatment may play a role in the association between pain and depressed affect. AIMS: Our observational study examined a longitudinal mediation model testing whether post-surgical pain intensity predicted depressed affect 5 years later via disengagement and/or engagement coping at the end of treatment. METHOD: Women (N = 240) with stage 0-III breast cancer completed measures of pain, coping, and depressed affect 4-10 weeks post-surgery, and 12 months and 5 years later. RESULTS: Structural modeling yielded measurement models of 12-month disengagement and engagement coping. Direct effects emerged between post-surgical pain intensity and 12-month disengagement (β = .37, p < .001) and engagement coping (β = .16, p < .05). Post-surgical pain intensity was also related to 5-year depressed affect (β = .25, p < .05). Disengagement and engagement coping were not associated with depressed affect at 5-year follow-up, and there was no evidence of mediation. LIMITATIONS: This is a secondary analysis of data from a trial conducted several years ago, and may not generalize due to a homogenous sample with attrition at long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Greater post-surgical pain intensity predicts more disengagement and engagement coping at the end of primary treatment, as well as depressed affect during survivorship. Managing post-surgical pain may influence the emotions of survivors of breast cancer up to 5 years later, possibly through coping or non-coping processes.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Eur J Health Psychol

DOI

EISSN

2512-8450

Publication Date

October 2021

Volume

28

Issue

4

Start / End Page

171 / 182

Location

Germany
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Fisher, H. M., Taub, C. J., Lechner, S. C., & Antoni, M. H. (2021). Greater Post-Surgical Pain Predicts Long-Term Depressed Affect in Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Coping. Eur J Health Psychol, 28(4), 171–182. https://doi.org/10.1027/2512-8442/a000084
Fisher, Hannah M., Chloe J. Taub, Suzanne C. Lechner, and Michael H. Antoni. “Greater Post-Surgical Pain Predicts Long-Term Depressed Affect in Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Coping.Eur J Health Psychol 28, no. 4 (October 2021): 171–82. https://doi.org/10.1027/2512-8442/a000084.
Fisher HM, Taub CJ, Lechner SC, Antoni MH. Greater Post-Surgical Pain Predicts Long-Term Depressed Affect in Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Coping. Eur J Health Psychol. 2021 Oct;28(4):171–82.
Fisher, Hannah M., et al. “Greater Post-Surgical Pain Predicts Long-Term Depressed Affect in Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Coping.Eur J Health Psychol, vol. 28, no. 4, Oct. 2021, pp. 171–82. Pubmed, doi:10.1027/2512-8442/a000084.
Fisher HM, Taub CJ, Lechner SC, Antoni MH. Greater Post-Surgical Pain Predicts Long-Term Depressed Affect in Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Coping. Eur J Health Psychol. 2021 Oct;28(4):171–182.

Published In

Eur J Health Psychol

DOI

EISSN

2512-8450

Publication Date

October 2021

Volume

28

Issue

4

Start / End Page

171 / 182

Location

Germany