Evaluating the association of self-reported psychological distress and self-rated health on survival times among women with breast cancer in the U.S

Oluwaseun John Adeyemi, Tasha Leimomi Gill, Rajib Paul and Larissa Brunner Huber

PLOS ONE, 2021, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Psychological distress and self-rated health status may create additional complexities in patients already diagnosed with breast cancer. This study aims to assess the association of self-report-based assessment of psychological distress and self-rated health on survival times among women with breast cancer diagnoses. Methods: Seventeen-year data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series—National Health Interview Survey (IPUMS-NHIS) were pooled and analyzed. Women who were aged 30 to 64 years old, with breast cancer diagnosis were selected (n = 2,819). The outcome variable was time to death. The independent variables were self-reported assessment of psychological distress and self-rated health. Psychological distress was defined using the Kessler-6 scale while self-rated health was measured on a 3-point Likert scale: Poor, Fair, and Good-to-Excellent (referred to as good for brevity). We computed unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HR) using Cox-Proportional Hazard regression models with sociodemographic characteristics and measures of health care access used as potential confounders. Significance was set at alpha = 0.05. Results: Women with breast cancer assessed as having psychological distress had 46% (Adjusted HR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.02–2.09) increased risks of mortality. Also, women who rated their health as poor or fair had a significantly elevated mortality risk (Poor Health: Adjusted HR: 3.05; 95% CI: 2.61–4.69; Fair Health: Adjusted HR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.43–2.35) as compared to women with good health status. Conclusions: Self-reported psychological distress and fair and poor self-rated health are associated with reduced survival times among women with breast cancer diagnoses.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0260481

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260481

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