Browsing by Subject "Fear of recurrence"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Assessing quality of life after pulmonary embolism: Comparing results from the PEmb-QoL with semistructured interviews
    (Elsevier, 2022-06-19) Hernandez-Nino, Jackeline; Ott, Mary A.; Thomas, Mary; Alexander, Andreia B.; Kline, Jeffrey A.; Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: The Pulmonary Embolism Quality of Life questionnaire (PEmb-QoL) assesses quality of life (QoL) in patients with previous pulmonary embolism (PE). Objective: Our aim was to assess the agreement between the PEmb-QoL and interviews and to explore other QoL concerns in patients diagnosed with PE. Methods: This mixed-method study included interviews with 21 patients about QoL after PE, followed by the PEmb-QoL questionnaire. In interviews, patients were asked about their lived experiences and impact of PE. Our analysis identified the frequency and severity of decreased QoL in qualitative interviews and compared with the PEmb-QoL score. Excerpts that described the effect of PE on QoL in interview transcripts were transcoded to match the answers corresponding to the 1 to 6 numeric values for each question from the PEmb-QoL using a predetermined matrix (eg, "constant" and "daily" = all of the time = value 1) and directly compared with responses on the PEmb-QoL in the areas of emotional complaints and activities of daily living/social limitations. Results: Interviews showed more functional impairment than predicted by PEmb-QoL. For fear of recurrence, 86% of participants had disagreements between PEmb-QoL scores and transcoded interview scores. We found 42% disagreement between reported descriptions of the inability to do or enjoy hobbies in interviews and the PEmb-QoL score. Conclusion: Patient interviews showed discordances compared with a validated psychometric tool. To capture a more detailed and accurate picture of the effect of PE on QoL, providers and researchers should consider the addition of qualitative methods to assess outcomes.
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    Breast Cancer Survivors' Perceptions of Partners' Intervention Needs
    (2018) Cohee, Andrea A.; Johns, Shelley A.
    Breast cancer survivors and their partners report similar levels of fear of recurrence; however, partners are rarely the subject of intervention. Survivors' perceptions for partners' interests and barriers in a survivorship education intervention are discussed.
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    The mediating role of avoidant coping in the relationships between physical, psychological, and social wellbeing and distress in breast cancer survivors
    (Wiley, 2021) Cohee, Andrea; Johns, Shelley A.; Alwine, Jennifer S.; Talib, Tasneem; Monahan, Patrick O.; Stump, Timothy E; Cella, David; Champion, Victoria L.
    Objective Many breast cancer survivors (BCSs) recover from the negative sequelae of cancer treatment. However, some report persistent and disruptive distress well into disease-free survivorship. More information is needed on the predictors of distress in this growing population of BCS, including the role of avoidant coping, or attempts to avoid thoughts, feelings, and reminders of cancer, in mediating the relationship between distress and psychological, physical, and social domains of well-being. Methods In a large cross-sectional study, BCS (n = 1,127), who were 3 to 8 years post-diagnosis, completed a survey assessing demographic characteristics, medical history, distress (anxiety and depressive symptoms), avoidant coping, and physical (fatigue), psychological (fear of recurrence, attention, body image), and social (social support from a partner, social constraints from a partner) well-being. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted to determine if avoidant coping mediated the relationship between each distress variable (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and each well-being (fear of recurrence, attention, body image, fatigue, social support, and social constraints) variable. Results In all six mediation models, avoidant coping significantly (p < 0.001) mediated the relationship between each well-being variable (fear of recurrence, attention, body image, fatigue, social support, and social constraints) and each distress indicator (depression and anxiety). Avoidant coping mediated 19%–54% of the effects of the contributing factors on the distress variables. Conclusions Avoidant coping may indicate risk for, or presence of, distress among BCS. Interventions to reduce distress may benefit from addressing avoidant coping styles.