Fear of cancer recurrence, checking behavior, and triggering events in the daily lives of breast cancer survivors
Date
2017
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a top ongoing concern of breast cancer (BC) survivors and thus the focus of recent intervention development. According to prominent theory, certain events trigger FCR, which, in turn, leads to specific behavioral responses, including checking the body for signs or symptoms of cancer (Lee-Jones, Humphris, Dixon, & Hatcher, 1997). Links between triggering events, FCR, and checking behavior have not yet been studied in the context of daily life. The goal of this study was to examine whether FCR has a within-person link with daily checking behavior and whether FCR mediates the link between triggering events and checking behavior. Seventy-two early-stage BC survivors completed daily diaries over a 21-day period approximately five months after BC surgery. FCR, checking behavior, and triggering events were assessed each evening. Multilevel modeling results indicated that FCR predicted greater odds of same-day, but not next-day, checking behavior. Checking behavior had a positive but non-significant effect on next-day FCR. We found that daily FCR significantly mediated the same-day effect of triggering events on checking behavior. These average within-person effects varied substantially between patients and were not explained by negative affect. The results support the within-person sequence of triggering events, FCR, and checking behavior posited by guiding theory, and can inform FCR intervention development.
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Keywords
Psychology, Breast cancer, Breast self-examination, Checking behavior, Fear of cancer recurrence, Psycho-oncology, Survivorship