33. Positive mental health in women living with breast cancer across geographic locations of residence: a data linkage study using the Scottish health survey.

Leung, Janni; Hubbard, Gill; Kyle, Richard; McLaughlin, Deirdre; Mullen, Russell; Atherton, Iain

Abstract

Aims: Breast cancer campaigns and support groups emphasize the importance for breast cancer patients to stay positive. However, existing research on mental well-being of breast cancer patients focuses on the negative aspects of mental health, such as psychological distress, depression, and anxiety. This study aims to compare levels of positive mental health across breast cancer survivors living in primary cities and the rest of Scotland by time since diagnosis.
Methods: Drawn from the 2008 to 2011 Scottish Health Survey (SHeS), the sample included 295 breast cancer survivors and 11,960 women with no cancer. The sample was categorised into four groups: 1) No cancer; 2) Breast cancer diagnosed 1 to 4 years ago; 3) Breast cancer diagnosed 5 to 10 years ago; and 4) Breast cancer diagnosed over 10 years ago. Positive mental health was measured using The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Control variables included age, marital status, ethnicity, education, smoking, drinking, occupation, and self-assessed general health.
Results: Contrary to expectations, linear regression results showed that compared to the no cancer group, women who were diagnosed with breast cancer 1 to 4 years ago (B = 3.51, 95%CI = 0.70,6.32) or 5 to 10 years ago (B = 4.40, 95%CI = 1.29,7.51) reported significantly higher levels of positive mental health. This was observed in women who lived in primary cities, and not in women who lived in the rest of Scotland.
Conclusions: Breast cancer patients living in primary cities in Scotland displayed higher levels of positive mental health in the first ten years of diagnosis. Further research is warranted to examine the disparities in positive mental health between breast cancer patients living in primary cities and the rest of Scotland.

Citation

Leung, J., Hubbard, G., Kyle, R., McLaughlin, D., Mullen, R., & Atherton, I. (2015). 33. Positive mental health in women living with breast cancer across geographic locations of residence: a data linkage study using the Scottish health survey. European journal of surgical oncology, 41(6), S27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejso.2015.03.034

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: May 6, 2015
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Deposit Date: Aug 1, 2016
• Journal: European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO)
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 6
• Pages: S27
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejso.2015.03.034
• Keywords: Surgery, oncology, mental health, women, Scotland,
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/320564