Psychopathological Profile of Women with Breast Cancer Based on the Symptom Checklist-90-R

Background: With effective early treatments, many breast cancer patients suffer from psychological distressdue to adverse effects and lifelong physical disfigurement. Our study aimed to evaluate the psychopathologicalprofile of breast cancer patients in comparison with healthy women and explored demographic correlates.
Method:We consecutively enrolled breast cancer patients who came to the hospital for follow-up or rehabilitation careafter primary treatment, and healthy female relatives or friends of inpatients in the Cancer Institute of ChineseAcademy of Medical Sciences between August 30, 2010 and January 1, 2012. Psychopathological profile wasassessed based on the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) for patients and controls. We compared demographicssuch as age, ethnicity, education, marriage, and occupation, and incorporated these data plus cancer statusfor the association with the general SCL-90-R index and scores for 9 major symptom dimensions in multipleregression analysis.
Results: We surveyed a total of 291 female breast cancer patients and 531 healthy women.The average age was 55.1±6.40 years for breast cancer patients and 43.1±12.8 for healthy controls (P<0.01). Themean survival was 5.20 years for cancer patients (range, 0.60-9.90 years). There were statistically significantdifferences in education, marriage, and occupation between the two groups (P<0.01). General index (1.45±0.45versus 1.32±0.37) and 8 dimension scores (excluding anxiety) on SCL-90-R were significantly higher in patients(P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that the breast cancer status was positively correlated with generalSCL-90-R index and 6 dimension scores (excluding the anxiety, phobic anxiety and paranoid ideation dimensions)(P<0.05). Regression coefficients ranged from 0.10 (depression) to 0.19 (somatization). Higher interpersonalsensitivity was noticed in single women compared to married women.
Conclusions: Chinese patients withbreast cancer demonstrate greater psychopathology compared to healthy controls. The breast cancer status isan independent contributing factor to the general psychopathological profile. Breast cancer patients should begiven particular counseling and care to alleviate their psychological distress.