A Prospective Study Of Emotional Suppression And Depressive Symptoms In Women With Breast Cancer

Objective:(1) To investigate the emotional suppression tendencies in women with breast cancer.(2) To understand depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer.(3) To explore the relationship between emotional suppression and depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer.Methods:The Chinese version of the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale(CES-D) were used to assess the level of emotional suppression and depressive symptoms respectively for the patients in the two Affiliated Hospital of Central South University who were waiting for the biopsy of the breast tissue and healthy women from Changsha and the surrounding area.434patients diagnosis of breast cancer by tissue biopsy and511healthy women were included in the study. About one week after the diagnosis of breast cancer,87patients were subjected to preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy,347patients received the breast improved governance surgery. So, the CES-D was used to assess depressive symptoms of347women with breast cancer one week after surgery again.Results:To analysis the survey data, the results are as follow:(1)The total scores of CECS and the scores of anger suppression, depression suppression, anxiety suppression in patients were significantly higher than in healthy women (P＜0.01).(2) The rate of depression in women with breast cancer patients before diagnosis and after surgery were57.1%and63.4%, respectively. There were no differences in the total CES-D scores between patients prior diagnosis and after surgery.(3)The total CES-D scores in women with breast cancer prior diagnosis were significantly different between each education group (P<0.01). The total CES-D scores in patients in urban areas were significantly lower than in those in rural areas prior diagnosis (P<0.05).(4) The total CECS scores and its subscale scores were significantly associated with the total CES-D scores in both groups. Anger depression and anxiety suppression in women with breast cancer significantly predict the total CES-D scores prior diagnosis (P<0.01). Anxiety suppression significantly predict the total CES-D scores in healthy women (P＜0.05).Conclusions:(1) Women with breast cancer have a emotional suppression style.(2) There is a higher incidence of depression in women with breast cancer. There was no difference in the degree of depression between patients prior diagnosis and one week after surgery.(3) The degree of depression in women with breast cancer was related with the education level, patients in rural areas had a higher degree of depression.(4) Emotional suppression was significantly associated with the depressive symptoms in all participants. Emotional suppression can significantly predict the degree of depression in women with breast cancer prior diagnosis, anger suppression has a unique role on the depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer.