TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of age and marital status on emotional distress after a mastectomy
AU - Metzger, Loya F.
AU - Rogers, Theresa F.
AU - Bauman, Laurie J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. Meager is research associate. Center for the Social Scienns. Columbia University, New York, NY 10027. Dr. Rogers is senior research scientist, Columbia University. Ms. Bauman is restarch associate. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The research reported in this article was supported by grants CA22219 and CA28505 fmm the National Cancer Instilute. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The authors wish to thank Ihe Bureau of Cancer Conml, New York State Department of Health. for its cooperation and to acknowledge the helpful comments of Joseph L. Fleiss, professor of biostatistics. khml of Public Health. Columbia University: Kenneth 1. Lenihan, associate professor of sociology, John Jay College, City University of New York; Steven Kulis, School of Social Work, Columbia University; and Barbara Berkman. Institute of Health Professions. Massachusetts General Hospital.
PY - 1983
Y1 - 1983
N2 - Although a large body of empirical literature exists on the psychosocial consequences of breast cancer and its treatment, scant attention has been paid to how various social characteristics affect adjustment after a mastectomy. In the research described in this article, regression analysis was used to assess how marital status affects the emotional recovery of mastectomy patients of different ages. Socioeconomic status, employment, and parental status were used as controls to permit a clearer understanding of how marital status affected women coping with this life crisis. Interviews conducted in 1979 with 652 women who underwent a mastectomy one year earlier revealed that although younger women are more likely to fear recurrence of the disease and to worry about disfigurement resulting from surgery, they apparently have resources that protect them against depression. Being married, generally believed to be a buffer against stressful life events, affords limited protection at best: Never-married women are significantly less likely to worry about recurrence and experience less depression.
AB - Although a large body of empirical literature exists on the psychosocial consequences of breast cancer and its treatment, scant attention has been paid to how various social characteristics affect adjustment after a mastectomy. In the research described in this article, regression analysis was used to assess how marital status affects the emotional recovery of mastectomy patients of different ages. Socioeconomic status, employment, and parental status were used as controls to permit a clearer understanding of how marital status affected women coping with this life crisis. Interviews conducted in 1979 with 652 women who underwent a mastectomy one year earlier revealed that although younger women are more likely to fear recurrence of the disease and to worry about disfigurement resulting from surgery, they apparently have resources that protect them against depression. Being married, generally believed to be a buffer against stressful life events, affords limited protection at best: Never-married women are significantly less likely to worry about recurrence and experience less depression.
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U2 - 10.1300/J077v01n03_02
DO - 10.1300/J077v01n03_02
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0020921109
SN - 0734-7332
VL - 1
SP - 17
EP - 33
JO - Journal of Psychosocial Oncology
JF - Journal of Psychosocial Oncology
IS - 3
ER -