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Breast Cancer as Trauma: Posttraumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth

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Abstract

Diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been associated with both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG). This cross-sectional study sought to assess the frequency, common predictors, and interrelationships of PTSD symptoms and PTG in breast cancer survivors (n = 65). In this sample, symptoms of PTSD and reports of PTG were common and were not significantly related to one another. Greater social constraints on talking about breast cancer and perception of cancer as a traumatic stressor were associated with greater PTSD symptomatology. Younger age and perception of cancer as a traumatic stressor were associated with greater PTG. Findings suggest the central role of subjective appraisal in adjustment to cancer. Psychosocial interventions should be sensitive to the potential for PTG, both in treatment design and in assessment of outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by California Breast Cancer Research Program grants #4BB-2901 & 5FB-0036. We thank the women who participated in this project for their time and dedication, Sue Dimicelli for her statistical consultation, and the staffs at The Wellness Community in Walnut Creek, CA, and Cancer Support Community in San Francisco, CA, for their collaborative partnership.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Matthew J. Cordova

  2. VA Northern California Health Care System, 150 Muir Road, Martinez, CA, 94553, USA

    Matthew J. Cordova

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Janine Giese-Davis & David Spiegel

  4. The Wellness Community-National, Santa Monica, CA, USA

    Mitch Golant

  5. Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Carol Kronenwetter

  6. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Chang Vickie

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  1. Matthew J. Cordova
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Correspondence to Matthew J. Cordova.

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Cordova, M.J., Giese-Davis, J., Golant, M. et al. Breast Cancer as Trauma: Posttraumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 14, 308–319 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-007-9083-6

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