Negative psychological consequences of breast cancer among recently diagnosed ethnically diverse women.

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer has psychological consequences that impact quality of life. We examined factors associated with negative psychological consequences of a breast cancer diagnosis, in a diverse sample of 910 recently diagnosed patients (378 African American, 372 white, and 160 Latina).

METHODS: Patients completed an in-person interview as part of the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago study within an average of 4 months from diagnosis. The Cockburn negative psychological consequences of breast cancer screening scale was revised to focus on a breast cancer diagnosis. Path analysis assessed predictors of psychological consequences and potential mediators between race/ethnicity and psychological consequences.

RESULTS: Compared to white counterparts, bivariate analysis showed African American (β = 1.4, P < .05) and Latina (β = 3.6, P < .001) women reported greater psychological consequences. Strongest predictors (P < .05 for all) included unmet social support (β = .38), and provider trust (β = .12), followed by stage at diagnosis (β = .10) and perceived neighborhood social disorder (β = .09).The strongest mediator between race/ethnicity and psychological consequences was unmet social support.

CONCLUSIONS: African American and Latina women reported greater psychological consequences related to their breast cancer diagnosis; this disparity was mediated by differences in unmet social support. Social support represents a promising point of intervention.