Anger suppression mediates the relationship between optimism and natural killer cell cytotoxicity in men treated for localized prostate cancer

Emotional Suppression Tendencies as Predictors of Symptoms, Mood, and Coping Appraisals During AC Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Treatment

“…The results are consistent with theory and research that anger suppression is linked with greater cardiovascular reactivity, greater pain, and poor immune function [17,72,73]. It may be that anger regulation is particularly challenging within the context of cancer because it may be more socially undesirable to admit to feeling angry or resentful than to feeling anxious or depressed [74].…”

“…Anger suppression effects have received the most attention to date, with evidence indicating that it may play a role in cardiovascular and immune-related processes. For example, tendencies to suppress anger have been found to predict greater blood pressure reactivity to stressful stimuli [32], higher rates of hypertension in men [33], and reduced immune function in men treated for prostate cancer [17]. These findings suggest that, within the context of chemotherapy, anger suppression may enhance side effects relating to cardiovascular and immune processes.…”

“…Unintentional ramifications of suppressing negative emotions may include sustained negative emotion and reductions in positive emotion [13,14] as well as cardiovascular arousal [15,16] and immunological changes [17,18]. Continuous efforts to suppress emotional expression can deplete cognitive and social resources [13,16], and this depletion may further enhance stress arousal and undermine wellbeing in ways that exacerbate symptoms and illness distress [19].…”

Suppression of negative affect in cancer patients. Trauma and defensiveness of self-esteem as predictors of depression and anxiety

“…The concept of "cancer proneness," "cancerous personality" or "personality susceptible to immunosuppression" assumes the tendency to repress emotional reactions to difficult life events (Dattore et al, 1980;Eysenc, 1985;Watson, Pettingale, & Greer, 1984). The researchers explain greater incidence of cancer among repressors by the impaired reaction of immune defense and by the hormonal changes as a result of long maintenance of stress due to inhibited expression of dissatisfaction and, in parallel, ineffective coping with stressors (KiecoltGraser, & Glaser, 1986;Penedo et al, 2006;Reiche, Nunes, & Morimoto, 2004;Saul et al, 2005;Septon, & Spiegel, 2003;Zorrilla, Luborsky, & McKay, 2011).…”

Association of Anger Expression-Out with NK Cell Counts in Colorectal Cancer Patients

“…These are novel results since there are very few studies on the relation between anger and NK cells and their results are mainly discrepant 41,42 and no work exists with colorectal cancer patients, which makes the comparison with our results unreasonable. Surprisingly, we did not find any relation between depression levels and NK cell count, which is contrary to other works.…”