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Trauma History as a Predictor of Psychologic Symptoms in Women With Breast Cancer

From the Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

Address reprint requests to Bonnie L. Green, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University, 310 Kober Cogan Hall, Washington, DC 20007; email greenb{at}gunet.georgetown.edu

PURPOSE: To identify predictors of psychiatric problems in women with early-stage breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred sixty women with early-stage breast cancer were recruited from three treatment centers. They filled out self-report questionnaires, including a medical history and demographic survey, the Trauma History Questionnaire, Life Event Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire, and were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R.

RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that four of five variable sets made a significant incremental contribution to outcome prediction, with 35% to 37% of the variance explained. Outcomes were predicted by demographic variables, trauma history variables, precancer psychiatric diagnosis, recent life events, and perceived social support. Cancer treatment variables did not predict outcome.

CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the important roles of trauma history and recent life events in adjustment to cancer and have implications for screening and treatment.

Parts of this work were presented at the Second Annual Conference on Trauma, Loss, and Dissociation, Alexandria, VA, February 29-March 4, 1996, and the Lake George Research Conference on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Bolton Landing, NY, March 5-8, 1998.

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