Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Apr-Jun;3(2):170-175.
doi: 10.4103/2347-5625.170223.

A Prospective Study of the Relationship between Psychological Factors and Breast Cancer

Mei-Ling Yeh  1 , Tso-Ying Lee  2
Affiliations

A Prospective Study of the Relationship between Psychological Factors and Breast Cancer

Mei-Ling Yeh et al. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2016 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Objective: This cross-sectional prospective study aimed to explore the relationship between psychological factors and breast cancer incidence.

Methods: The subjects who scheduled to receive mammography screening were recruited from a medical center's outpatient department in Taiwan. Psychological factors used for measurement were stress, anxiety, and depression.

Results: A total of 1160 questionnaires were completed, which underwent statistical analysis using independent t-test, Chi-square test, Pearson's correlation, and multiple logistic regression. There were statistically significant differences in the average scores of the two groups with and without breast cancer for psychological factors of anxiety (t = -2.071; P = 0.039), depression (t = -3.035; P = 0.002), and stress (t = -4.087; P < 0.001). The crude odds ratio of the two groups showed that subjects with borderline anxiety were 2.576 times (P = 0.001) more likely to have breast cancer as compared to subjects with no anxiety. Subjects with depression were 4.078 times (P = 0.03) more likely to have breast cancer as compared to subjects with no depression. Every point added to the average total stress score increased the additional risk of breast cancer by 1.124 times (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: After making adjustments on educational factors, the results conclude that psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression can be considered predictors of breast cancer risk. To prevent and control breast cancer in women, the findings suggest that nurses should consider adding emphasis on psychological factors in women's health education.

Keywords: Anxiety; breast cancer; depression; risk factors; stress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast Cancer. 2014. [Last accessed on 2015 May 27]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/
    1. National Cancer Institute. Breast Cancer. 2014a. [Last accessed on 2015 May 27]. Available from: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast .
    1. Ministry of Health and Welfare (Taiwan). 2013 Statistical Results on Causes of Death in Taiwan. 2014. [Last accessed on 2015 May 27]. Available from http://www.mohw.gov.tw/EN/Ministry/DM1_P.aspx?f_list_no=378&fod_list_no=... .
    1. Hankinson SE, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Towards an integrated model for breast cancer etiology: The lifelong interplay of genes, lifestyle, and hormones. Breast Cancer Res. 2004;6:213–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sun HL, Dong XX, Cong YJ, Gan Y, Deng J, Cao SY, et al. Depression and the risk of breast cancer: A meta-analysis of cohort studies. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2015;16:3233–9. - PubMed