Title

Cancer-Relevant Self-Efficacy Is Related to Better Health-Related Quality of Life and Lower Cancer-Specific Distress and Symptom Burden Among Latina Breast Cancer Survivors

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2020

Abstract

Background: Latina breast cancer survivors (BCS) often report poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL), higher symptom burden, and greater psychosocial needs compared to non-Latina BCS. However, Latinas are underrepresented in cancer survivorship research and more work is needed to examine the factors contributing to these psychosocial disparities. This study aimed to evaluate potentially modifiable patient characteristics associated with HRQOL, breast cancer concerns, and cancer-specific distress among Latina BCS. Methods: Baseline data was evaluated in 95 Latina BCS who participated in a smartphone-based psychosocial intervention designed to improve HRQOL. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations between modifiable factors that have been shown to favorably impact outcomes in cancer populations (i.e., cancer-relevant self-efficacy, breast cancer knowledge) with overall and domain-specific HRQOL, breast cancer symptom burden, and cancer-specific distress, after controlling for sociodemographic and cancer-related characteristics. Results: Greater cancer-relevant self-efficacy was related to better overall HRQOL as well as better social, emotional, and functional well-being domains. Greater cancer-relevant self-efficacy was also related to less breast cancer symptom burden and less cancer-specific distress. Breast cancer knowledge was not associated with any of the study outcomes. Conclusions: Results demonstrate that cancer-relevant self-efficacy is a significant correlate of general and domain-specific HRQOL, breast cancer symptom burden, and cancer-specific distress among Latina BCS. Future interventions in this population should target cancer-relevant self-efficacy as a possible mechanism to improve HRQOL outcomes and survivorship experiences for Latina BCS.

DOI

10.1007/s12529-020-09890-9

Publication Title

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Volume Number

27

Issue Number

4

First Page

357

Last Page

365

ISSN

10705503

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