Breast Cancer and Resilience: The Controversial Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence

The Impact of Newly Diagnosed Early Breast Cancer on Psychological Resilience, Distress Levels, and the Perception of Health

Confronting a breast cancer diagnosis, along with complex and challenging treatment procedures, is an extremely stressful experience. Psychological resilience is the ability to maintain or restore normal functioning while facing adversity. We aimed to explore the impact of an early breast cancer diagnosis on psychological resilience, distress, and perception of health. A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 50 patients newly diagnosed with early breast cancer and 67 healthy women with screening mammograms graded 1 or 2 using a Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. The levels of distress, perception of health, and psychological resilience were assessed using the depression, anxiety, and stress scale, the SF 36-Item Health Survey 1.0, and the Connor-Davidson RISC-25 scale. Differences between variables were examined using the t-test and chi-square test for interval and categorial variables. The surveys were conducted within four weeks of a breast cancer diagnosis. Patients with breast cancer reported a deterioration of their health relative to the previous year and significantly higher levels of psychological resilience, while there was no significant difference between the groups in levels of stress, anxiety, or depression. The process of diagnosis with early breast cancer may activate psychological dynamic processes which are involved in the effective adaptation to acute stress, leading to higher resilience levels in breast cancer patients compared to healthy controls.

Difficulties in emotion regulation and well-being in breast cancer

Objective

Breast cancer is responsible for disruptive changes in women's lives, causing them to experience diverse and intense negative emotions that can affect their perception of well-being. The present study aimed to characterize difficulties in emotion regulation (ER), according to Gratz and Roemer's multidimensional assessment, in women with breast cancer and to relate them with General Well-Being and its different domains: Physical, Social/Familial, Emotional, and Functional.

Method

Ninety-five Portuguese women with breast cancer aged between 32 and 75 years answered a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the Portuguese versions of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General. Data were collected in an oncology public hospital.

Results

In general, difficulties in ER presented negative correlations with General Well-Being and its domains. The multiple regression analysis findings indicated that two specific types of difficulties, Limited Access to ER Strategies and Lack of Emotional Clarity, play a significant role in predicting well-being, especially in the Emotional domain, which was most compromised in these patients.

Conclusions

These difficulties should be approached within psycho-oncological interventions as they are essential contributors to improving emotional and general well-being and fostering psychological adaptation to breast cancer.

Emotional Intelligence and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

Emotional Intelligence (EI), defined as the ability to perceive, identify, understand, and regulate emotional states is related to health outcomes. In this line, some studies examined this personal resource in the cancer area and, specifically, in breast cancer. Also, the different models and measures have led to a categorisation considering the various construct-method pairings of EI. Despite the increased number of studies about EI in the breast cancer context, there are no systematic reviews that summarise the results obtained in the different investigations. Objectives: Hence, the present review aims: to identify and describe the measures that have been used for assessing EI within this field, and to summarise the main results regarding EI in terms of its predictors and outcomes, considering the instruments used to assess it. Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Database search was conducted in WOS, Scopus, Pubmed, and PSYCArticles. Results: A total of 156 articles were found and 21 met the eligibility criteria. On one hand, one of the most used instruments was the TMMS-24 framed within the self-report ability EI, followed by those framed within the self-report mixed EI. None of the studies measured EI by the performance-based ability EI perspective. On the other hand, EI was related to other variables such as psychological well-being, quality of life, resilience, workability, anxiety, and depression. The majority of the studies were cross-sectional, and some of them included an intervention. Conclusions: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the existing studies concerning EI in the context of breast cancer, highlighting some of its characteristics regarding design, participants, used measures, and related variables. Also, the obtained results can improve the clinical practice and the understanding of the EI as an influencing factor in the health and quality of life of breast cancer populations.

The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience in the Relationship Between Spiritual Well-Being and Supportive Care Needs in Women With Breast Cancer

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of psychological resilience as part of the effect of spiritual well-being in the supportive care needs of women with breast cancer.

Materials and Methods

Cross-sectional design. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Short Form, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form were completed women with breast cancer treated at the oncology clinic of a university hospital. For the mediation model, Bootstrap methods with PROCESS Macro were used.

Results

The study was conducted with 126 breast cancer patients. A significant negative, moderate relationship was found between supportive care needs and psychological resilience (r = -0.560). There was a significant negative, but weak relationship between supportive care needs and spiritual well-being (r = -0.385). The indirect effect of spiritual well-being on supportive care needs was significant, thus, psychological resilience was shown to have a mediating effect on the relationship between spiritual well-being and supportive care needs [b = -0.370, 95% confidence interval (- 0.5568, -0.1911)].

Conclusion

Psychological resilience appears to contribute to a reduction in supportive care needs of breast cancer patients by affecting spiritual well-being.

Resilience in cancer patients and how it correlates with demographics, psychological factors, and lifestyle

Background

Being diagnosed with cancer is challenging. Many patients wish to be actively involved in treatment and contribute to therapy, but the patients’ coping abilities and desire for involvement differ. The individual level of resilience seems to play a major role. Our study aims to learn more about the associations of resilience and factors as demographics and psychological factors.

Methods

This multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted in ten oncological centers in Germany in summer 2021. The questionnaire collected information on demographics, resilience, self-efficacy, general satisfaction with life, and sense of coherence. Considered lifestyle-aspects were diet and physical activity. 416 patients were included in the analyses.

Results

A moderate mean resilience score was achieved (M = 69). Significant correlations in demographics were found for resilience and education (r = 0.146, p = 0.003), income (r = 0.205, p = 0.001), and time since receiving diagnosis (r = − 0.115, p = 0.021). Resilience and self-efficacy correlated on a high level (r = 0.595, p < 0.001), resilience and sense of coherence, and resilience and general satisfaction with life in a moderate way (r = 0.339, p < 0.001; r = 0.461, p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Resilience portrays an important aspect in cancer treatment. Detecting patients at risk, stabilizing, or improving resilience are important to focus on and strengthen them accordingly. Possible negatively influencing factors (e.g., low self-efficacy) need to be considered. Factors affecting resilience but difficult to influence, as educational background, should be screened for. Also, the combination of low resilience and low income seems to describe a vulnerable patient group.

The Role of Emotion-Related Abilities in the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review

Breast cancer survivors have to deal with notable challenges even after successful treatment, such as body image issues, depression and anxiety, the stress related to changes in lifestyle, and the continual challenges inherent to health management. The literature suggests that emotional abilities, such as emotional intelligence, emotion management, mood repair, and coping play a fundamental role in such challenges. We performed a systematic review to systematize the evidence available on the role of emotional abilities in quality of life and health management in breast cancer survivors. The search was performed on three scientific databases (Pubmed, Scopus, and PsycINFO) and, after applying exclusion criteria, yielded 33 studies, mainly of a cross-sectional nature. The results clearly support the hypothesis that emotional abilities play multiple important roles in breast cancer survivors' quality of life. Specifically, the review highlighted that coping/emotional management plays multiple roles in breast cancer survivors' well-being and health management, affecting vitality and general adjustment to cancer positivity and promoting benefit findings related to the cancer experience; however, rare negative results exist in the literature. This review highlights the relevance of emotional abilities to promoting quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Future review efforts may explore other breast cancer survivors' emotional abilities, aiming at assessing available instruments and proposing tailored psychological interventions.

Idiosyncratic Profile of Perceived Emotional Intelligence and Post-Traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Survivors: Findings of a Multiple Mediation Model

Psycho-oncology research suggests that positive personal changes can occur after experiencing breast cancer. These changes can be understood as post-traumatic growth (PTG) and seem to be determined by emotional self-efficacy perception. This study aims to investigate the existence of different profiles of PTG and perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) among breast cancer survivors (BCSs) and healthy controls. Moreover, it aims to study the mechanisms through which PEI may mediate the relationship between disease survival and PTG. The total sample was 636 women divided into two groups: 56 BCS and 580 healthy controls who completed TMMS-24 and PTGI. The results displayed that BCSs apparently show a different profile of PTG and PEI compared to healthy women. The mediation analyses showed that survivorship explained 1.9% of PTG, increasing to 26.5% by the effect of PEI. An indirect effect showed that cancer survival predicts reduced levels of emotional attention, decreasing PTG. However, the most statistical indirect effect evidenced that BCSs regulate their emotions appropriately, having a powerful effect on PTG and counteracting the negative effects of poor emotional attention. Knowing the implications of PEI on PTG could improve follow-up from the time of diagnosis and supporting the patient to cope with the sequelae of the disease.

General Health and Resilience of Breast Cancer Patients: The Mediator Role of Affective Well-Being

A considerable percentage of breast cancer patients present adequate psychological adjustment and do not become distressed after a breast cancer diagnosis, or, if they do, they manage to recover quickly, which is reflected in their general health. This study aims to determine the role of some psychological mechanisms that affect psycho-oncological adjustment, specifically, resilience and well-being, in a sample of 109 breast cancer patients. For this purpose, participants completed questionnaires on general health, resilience, and well-being (life satisfaction and affect). Correlation analyses and a multiple mediation model were carried out. The results revealed that Pearson correlations between all variables showed strong associations between general health scores and positive and negative affect scores, and moderate associations with life satisfaction and resilience scores. Furthermore; in the mediation model, the total percentage of variance explained by the overall model was 55% (R² = 0.55), where resilience was associated with positive and negative affect, and that influenced general health. These results show that affective well-being is especially relevant in breast cancer patients in terms of its mediating role in resilience, making it clear that an appropriate intervention focused on managing patients' affective status can have a favorable impact on their overall health.

Family Resilience and Adolescent Mental Health during COVID-19: A Moderated Mediation Model

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and is still impacting people’s lives, including physical and mental health. Family plays an important role in adolescent mental health due to the long staying at home. Aims: This paper aimed to investigate the impact of family resilience on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mediation role of pandemic stress perception and the moderation role of meta-mood. Methods: A total of 2691 Chinese adolescents were recruited using convenient sampling. Their mental health, family resilience, pandemic stress perception and meta-mood were surveyed. Multivariate statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Our results showed that (1) about 36.7% adolescents in our sample have some mental health problems; (2) family resilience can positively predict adolescent mental health, whereas pandemic stress perception can negatively predict mental health; (3) pandemic stress perception mediates the relationship between family resilience and adolescent mental health; (4) meta-mood moderates the relationship between family resilience and pandemic perception, i.e., the first half of the mediation role. Conclusions: Our results indicate that one can either improve family resilience or improve adolescents’ meta-mood to relieve adolescents’ mental health problems.

The Key Role of Emotional Repair and Emotional Clarity on Depression among Breast Cancer Survivors

Breast cancer is the malignancy with the highest incidence in women worldwide. The empirical evidence is inconsistent with the prevalence of depression among breast cancer survivors (BCS), pointing to emotional competencies as protective factors against affective disorders. However, the mechanisms through which these competencies favor a more adaptive emotional state are unknown. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between the experience of having survived the disease and depression levels in a group of BCS, and the mediating role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI) in this relation. This was a cross-sectional study with 237 women divided into two groups: 56 BCS and 181 healthy controls who completed the Trait Meta-Mood Scale 24 (TMMS-24) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results showed that Survivorship and PEI explained and predicted 37.8% of the variance of depression, corresponding the 11.7% to the direct and/or the indirect effect of the PEI dimensions (Emotional Attention, Emotional Clarity, and Emotional Repair). In conclusion, interventions aimed at promoting an adequate PEI in this population-and in the Psycho-oncology field, in general-with a particular focus on the development of Emotional Clarity and Repair need to be implemented. Limitations and future research lines are discussed.

Multi-Frequent Band Collaborative EEG Emotion Classification Method Based on Optimal Projection and Shared Dictionary Learning

Affective computing is concerned with simulating people’s psychological cognitive processes, of which emotion classification is an important part. Electroencephalogram (EEG), as an electrophysiological indicator capable of recording brain activity, is portable and non-invasive. It has emerged as an essential measurement method in the study of emotion classification. EEG signals are typically split into different frequency bands based on rhythmic characteristics. Most of machine learning methods combine multiple frequency band features into a single feature vector. This strategy is incapable of utilizing the complementary and consistent information of each frequency band effectively. It does not always achieve the satisfactory results. To obtain the sparse and consistent representation of the multi-frequency band EEG signals for emotion classification, this paper propose a multi-frequent band collaborative classification method based on optimal projection and shared dictionary learning (called MBCC). The joint learning model of dictionary learning and subspace learning is introduced in this method. MBCC maps multi-frequent band data into the subspaces of the same dimension using projection matrices, which are composed of a common shared component and a band-specific component. This projection method can not only make full use of the relevant information across multiple frequency bands, but it can also maintain consistency across each frequency band. Based on dictionary learning, the subspace learns the correlation between frequency bands using Fisher criterion and principal component analysis (PCA)-like regularization term, resulting in a strong discriminative model. The objective function of MBCC is solved by an iterative optimization algorithm. Experiment results on public datasets SEED and DEAP verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Resilience and related factors in colorectal cancer patients: A systematic review

PURPOSE

To explore resilience and its related factors in adult colorectal cancer patients.

METHODS

Three databases (CINAHL, Scopus and PubMed) were searched for literature published from January 2009 to February 2021 using the terms colorectal and resilience or resilient or resiliency. The review was registered with PROSPERO and followed the PRISMA statement guidelines.

RESULTS

The studies (n = 11) showed that most colorectal cancer patients exhibit moderate levels of resilience. Resilience was identified as a mediator in the positive or negative aspects of illness, while three studies investigated resilience as an outcome variable. Resilience was associated with social support, mental and physical burden, post-traumatic growth, hope, and quality of life. The studies showed that resilience might not be an immutable situation; social support seemed to provide patients the tools necessary for managing their illness, as well as helped them confront future events. The interventions designed to help with self-care issues and coping strategies eased a patient's mental and physical burden, and improved resilience.

CONCLUSIONS

Resilience among colorectal cancer patients was connected to both negative and positive aspects of the illness. Psychosocial and illness-related practical support might be key for strengthening resilience in these patients. However, longitudinal and intervention studies are required to confirm these indications. Research should study resilience as an outcome variable and provide information related to resilience at different phases of cancer, and what type of support is offered by professionals.

Pain Control, Acceptance and Adjustment to the Disease among Patients with Ovarian, Endometrial and Breast Cancer in Poland

Background: Breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer are among the most common causes of morbidity and mortality of women in Poland. In 2016, breast cancer was the most common cause of morbidity and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, endometrial cancer was the third most common cause of morbidity and the seventh leading cause of death, and ovarian cancer was the fifth most common cause of morbidity and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in women. The aim of the study was to assess the strategy of pain control, acceptance of the cancer and adjustment to life with disease in women with ovarian cancer, endometrial and breast cancer. This study shows how level of pain control, acceptance, and adjustment can differ among patients with the three kinds of cancer and which factors have the most influence on patients’ adjustment to the disease. Methods: The study was carried out with 481 patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer, endometrial and breast cancer. In the study BPCQ, CSQ, AIS and Mini-MAC questionnaires were used. Results: In the BPCQ questionnaire the highest result was acquired in the scope of the impact of doctors (M = 16.45, SD = 4.30), differentiated by cancer location and socio-economic variables. In the CSQ test, the highest result was achieved by praying/hoping, differentiated by cancer location and socio-economic variables. The average AIS acceptance score was M = 27.48 (SD = 7.68). The highest result of the Mini-Mac scale was obtained by patients in the area of fighting spirit (M = 22.94, SD = 3.62), and these results depended on socio-economic and treatment-related variables but were not differentiated by cancer location. Conclusions: Patients attribute the highest importance in the disease to the influence of physicians, praying/hoping, and fighting spirit. The awareness of the pain management strategies of patients with cancer allows appropriate psychological support to be designed for specific groups of patients.

Breast cancer patient experiences through a journey map: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases in women. Prevention and treatments have lowered mortality; nevertheless, the impact of the diagnosis and treatment continue to impact all aspects of patients' lives (physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual).

OBJECTIVE

This study seeks to explore the experiences of the different stages women with breast cancer go through by means of a patient journey.

METHODS

This is a qualitative study in which 21 women with breast cancer or survivors were interviewed. Participants were recruited at 9 large hospitals in Spain and intentional sampling methods were applied. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview that was elaborated with the help of medical oncologists, nurses, and psycho-oncologists. Data were processed by adopting a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer entails a radical change in patients' day-to-day that linger in the mid-term. Seven stages have been defined that correspond to the different medical processes: diagnosis/unmasking stage, surgery/cleaning out, chemotherapy/loss of identity, radiotherapy/transition to normality, follow-up care/the "new" day-to-day, relapse/starting over, and metastatic/time-limited chronic breast cancer. The most relevant aspects of each are highlighted, as are the various cross-sectional aspects that manifest throughout the entire patient journey.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehending patients' experiences in depth facilitates the detection of situations of risk and helps to identify key moments when more precise information should be offered. Similarly, preparing the women for the process they must confront and for the sequelae of medical treatments would contribute to decreasing their uncertainty and concern, and to improving their quality-of-life.

Defense Mechanism Functioning in Patients With Breast Cancer: Using the Defense Mechanism Rating Scale

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the highest incidence rates in Lebanon. Previous studies had focused scarcely on the unconscious protective shield of patients with BC or BC survivors against cancer, while only some studies had focused on the relationship between defense mechanisms (DMs) and high adaptation with the disease process and progress. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the reaction of inpatients with BC toward the disease by measuring DMs in the Lebanon context.

Methods: Seventy inpatients with BC were recruited randomly from six hospitals. Their DMs were measured using the Defense Mechanism Rating Scale. Moreover, the Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm (RAP) was used with three recent life vignettes of initial diagnosis, family, and daily life. The data were analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and Spearman's rank.

Results: Patients with stage 2 BC used more high-adaptive defense levels than patients with stage 4 BC who used more minor image distorting defense levels. Moreover, patients with stage 2 BC used more self-observation and undoing, while patients with stage 4 BC used more devaluation.

Conclusion: The severity of BC, the age of carriers, and the social status may lead to higher use of DMs, at the level of the individual defense and the hierarchal or the tripartite levels.

Enhancing Self-Esteem and Body Image of Breast Cancer Women through Interventions: A Systematic Review

Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common neoplasm in women worldwide, considered a global public health problem. Among BC women, some of the most common psychological symptoms in the adaptation to the disease are reduction in self-esteem and distorted body image (BI). Although there are numerous studies with the goal of promoting different psychological variables, BI and self-esteem are often separately observed despite their relationship and their importance in the process of the illness. Moreover, there have been no reviews that have synthesized the findings related to interventions aimed at enhancing both self-esteem and BI in BC women. Therefore, the objective of this review was to identify and examine the implemented interventions aimed at boosting both variables in this population. For this purpose, a systematic review was implemented following the PRISMA statement. A thorough search was performed on the following databases: Web of Science, PubMed, PsychInfo, PsychArticles, and Scopus. Among 287 records, only eight articles met the eligibility criteria. Interventions were grouped into three types according to their characteristics: Group therapies, Physical activity therapies, and Cosmetic and beauty treatments. The levels of effectiveness of the different interventions varied between them, and within each, in their impact on self-esteem and BI. More interventions focused on developing BI and self-esteem in this population are needed due to their ability to predict psychological functioning and quality of life of women with breast cancer.