Relationships of anxiety and depressive symptoms with pain perception in post-mastectomy women. An intragroup analysis

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer confronts women with a threat to life and is classified among the most traumatic life experiences. The disease is often accompanied by strong negative emotions, often in the form of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Studies also point to the presence of chronic pain breast-cancer survivors. Objective: To determine the relationships of: (1) anxiety and depressive symptoms with the experienced severity and interference of pain in post-mastectomy women; (2) anxiety and depressive symptoms with beliefs about pain. Method: The studied group consisted of 53 women after radical mastectomy, experiencing chronic pain, despite positive results of cancer treatment. IPQ-R (Illness Perception Questionnaire -Revised) and HADS (The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were applied. Results: Correlation and regression analyses confirmed relationships of anxiety and depressive symptoms with pain in the group of postmastectomy women. Cluster analysis separated three groups of patients, differing in the severity of depressive symptoms and anxiety. For each group, a different pattern of beliefs about pain was characteristic. Discussion: The study has shown that psychological determinants play a significant role in the perception of pain severity and interference, which are related to anxiety, depressive symptoms and a system of beliefs about pain duration.

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“…Based on the results, anxiety (hidden or explicit) can predict postoperative neuropathic pain, which is consistent with the results of other similar studies (22)(23)(24). Based on the literature, high levels of anxiety can explain 35% of the pain associated with breast cancer surgery.…”

Percepciones de la enfermedad y hábitos de vida saludable en personas con enfermedades crónicas

“…Estos resultados son similares a los manifestados por Maclnnes (2013) en pacientes con falla cardíaca, quien tampoco encontró proporciones significativas de síntomas emocionales en estos pacientes. Sin embargo, algunos estudios han señalado que existen niveles de ansiedad altos en pacientes con artritis reumatoide (Vinaccia et al, 2017) y mujeres sometidas a una mastectomía (Hansdorfer-Korzon et al, 2016). Lo anterior evidencia la alta variabilidad reportada en los datos y hace pensar en la importancia de estudiar qué cambios del proceso de ajuste están influyendo en los niveles de sintomatología emocional.…”

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