Recovery in early stage breast cancer—An Australian longitudinal study.

Background: The majority of breast cancer patients will experience some level of emotional distress, with some patients having long‐term psychological maladjustment. Personal and social resources play a role in recovery yet the interplay between these factors warrants further examination. This study aimed to investigate the interaction of psychosocial factors impacting women in their breast cancer trajectory, at 2 years or less following diagnosis (stages I‐III). Design A longitudinal cohort study approach was used in this study. Methods: The sample consisted of n = 49 participants. Data were collected between June 2013 and October 2013 and followed for 12 months across the trajectory of the disease. Results: The mean age was 56.6 years (SD 11.6 years). Most participants had stage I or stage II breast cancer. Time (over three time points—4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months) after diagnosis was significantly associated with the body image (P = .003) and age (P = .004). Conclusion: Older women with breast cancer reported less concern regarding body image than their younger peers. These findings suggest that posttreatment younger women may require access to psychological support posttreatment. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? The majority of breast cancer patients experience some level of emotional distress, with some patients having long‐term psychological maladjustment.Personal resources (ie, self‐image, optimism, and perceived control) and social resources (ie, social support) play a central role in recovery.The interplay between the personal and social resources is not well known particularly in the first 2 years postdiagnosis What this paper adds? Older women with breast cancer reported less concern regarding body image than their younger peers.Older women also experienced more positive future perspectives when compared with younger women.Younger women appeared less adaptive psychologically. The implications of this paper: There are known psychological impacts for women who have breast cancer, and nurses are well placed within their scope of practice to undertake routine mental state examination of these patients.Younger women who have breast cancer in particular may require additional psychological supports during the first 2 years postdiagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]