Common-sense beliefs about cancer and health practices among women completing treatment for breast cancer

Erin S Costanzo; Susan K Lutgendorf; Susan L Roeder

doi:10.1002/pon.1707

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Common-sense beliefs about cancer and health practices among women completing treatment for breast cancer

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Common-sense beliefs about cancer and health practices among women completing treatment for breast cancer

Erin S Costanzo, Susan K Lutgendorf and Susan L Roeder

Psycho-oncology (Chichester, England), Vol.20(1), pp.53-61

01/2011

DOI: 10.1002/pon.1707

PMCID: PMC2909355

PMID: 20148441

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/2909355View

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Abstract

Following the end of adjuvant treatment, breast cancer survivors must cope with uncertainty related to the possibility of recurrence and the loss of the 'safety net' treatment provides. This study examined breast cancer survivors' efforts to manage uncertainty by making lifestyle changes, such as improvement in diet and exercise. We further investigated the role of women's common-sense beliefs about their cancer, as described by Leventhal's self-regulation theory, in explaining post-treatment changes. At 3 weeks and 3 months post-treatment, 79 women who received adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy for stages 0-III breast cancer (mean age=55 years) completed assessments of changes in health practices and other behaviors. Participants also completed measures of beliefs about the causes, course, personal control, and consequences of their cancer. Survivors reported behavior changes directed toward improving physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Results further indicated that women who believed their cancer had more severe consequences and those who attributed the development of cancer or the prevention of recurrence to health behaviors or stress were most likely to report improvement in diet or physical activity and reduction in alcohol use or stress. Findings suggest that breast cancer survivors are poised to make lifestyle changes after treatment ends, creating an opportune time for health promotion interventions. Understanding women's cancer beliefs could help guide the development of tailored, proactive interventions to improve the health and well-being of breast cancer survivors.

Health Behavior

Culture

Breast Neoplasms - classification

Life Style

Uncertainty

Prospective Studies

Attitude to Health

Humans

Models, Psychological

Logistic Models

Socioeconomic Factors

Breast Neoplasms - therapy

Breast Neoplasms - psychology

Female

Surveys and Questionnaires

Survivors - psychology

Neoplasm Staging

Adaptation, Psychological

Details

Title: Subtitle: Common-sense beliefs about cancer and health practices among women completing treatment for breast cancer
Creators: Erin S Costanzo - Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, WI 53719, USA. ecostanzo@wisc.edu
Susan K Lutgendorf
Susan L Roeder
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Psycho-oncology (Chichester, England), Vol.20(1), pp.53-61
DOI: 10.1002/pon.1707
PMID: 20148441
PMCID: PMC2909355
NLM abbreviation: Psychooncology
ISSN: 1057-9249
eISSN: 1099-1611
Publisher: England
Grant note: UL1 RR025011-03S1 / NCRR NIH HHS R01 CA104825 / NCI NIH HHS KL2RR0205012 / NCRR NIH HHS KL2 RR025012-03 / NCRR NIH HHS KL2 RR025012 / NCRR NIH HHS UL1 RR025011 / NCRR NIH HHS UL1 RR025011-02 / NCRR NIH HHS KL2 RR025012-01 / NCRR NIH HHS R01 CA140933 / NCI NIH HHS UL1 RR025011-03S2 / NCRR NIH HHS T32 MH018931-09 / NIMH NIH HHS KL2 RR025012-02 / NCRR NIH HHS UL1 RR025011-01 / NCRR NIH HHS UL1 RR025011-03 / NCRR NIH HHS T32 MH018931 / NIMH NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 01/2011
Academic Unit: Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Urology; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984065769402771

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