Aims: the experience of posttraumatic growth following breast cancer,
its association with psychological distress and the predictive value of
psychological distress, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of
cancer patients in their personal growth.
Methods: The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and the Greek version of the
Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale (G-HADS) were administered to 100
breast cancer patients. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics
were recorded.
Results: The analysis showed that significant associations were found
between PTGI-Total patients’ age (p = 0.001), and being married (p =
0.007). Moreover, significant associations was observed between PTGI-II
(”New Possibilities”) and HADS-Depression (r = -0.314, p < 0.05).
Multiple regression analyses showed that age is a significant predictor
of PTGI-II (”New Possibilites”) (p = 0.005), PTGI-V
(”Apreciation of Life”) (p = 0.0005) and PTGI-Total (p = 0.037),
while marital status is a significant predictor of PTGI-Total (p =
0.009).
Conclusion: Specific patients’ characteristics, such as young age and
being with a partner with a partner, influence the experience of
posttraumatic growth in breast cancer patients. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd.
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