Analysis of the effects of over time on the triple system of response of anxiety on breast cancer survivors

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate anxiety response in three systems (cognitive, physiological and motor) in three breast cancer survivors groups and a control group, to find differences between the groups in the anxiety systems.

Method: 25 breast cancer survivors were distributed into three groups according the time from the end of the treatment (< than 5 years; > than 5 and < 10 years; > than 10 years) and a control group of 10 participants from the general population without a cancer history were included. All study participants completed the Inventory of Anxiety Situations and Responses (ISRA).

Results: The three survivors groups obtained higher scores than the control group in the three anxiety systems, but not significant. Taken together the results shows high scores in physiologic and motor anxiety in the two groups closer to the end of the treatment (< than 5 years; > than 5 and < 10 years). Furthermore, it was observed that cognitive and motor anxiety systems values increases in the second group compared with the first, subsequently decreasing to obtain similar values with the general population.

Conclusions: In general breast cancer survivors shows a good psychological adjustment in terms of anxiety, although the data point out that is necessary taken into account the type of anxiety that may be more affected in each temporal time.