Posttraumatic Stress Associated With Cancer History and BRCA1/2 Genetic Testing

Bibliographic Data

ID19306703
AuthorsHeidi A Hamann, Heidi Hamann (0000-0002-3207-0949, Washington State University, corresponding author), Tamara J Somers (0000-0002-8809-2979), Ashley Wilder Smith (0000-0001-9674-5717), Sabra S Inslicht (0000-0002-2456-1625), Andy Baum (0000-0002-9755-6691), Andrew Baum
Year2005
Volume67
Issue5
Pages766-772
Publication date2005-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/01.psy.0000181273.74398.d7
PMID16204436
OpenAlexW2032983519
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited58

Objective: A subset of women who are at elevated cancer risk due to family history exhibit evidence of cancer-specific distress. These stress responses may represent symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study assessed rates of PTSD related to personal or family cancer history and BRCA1/2 testing. Methods: Participants were 84 women enrolled in a larger project focused on genetic testing decisions. Semistructured diagnostic interviews were used to identify instances of threshold and subthreshold PTSD. Results: Results indicated that 16.7% of the women reported current threshold or subthreshold PTSD related to personal or family cancer history. An additional 26.2% reported past-only cancer-related threshold or subthreshold PTSD. Of the 65 women who received BRCA1/2 results and completed the test-related PTSD module, only 7.7% reported threshold or subthreshold PTSD related to the genetic testing process. However, when rates were examined based on carrier status, 25.0% of BRCA1/2 carriers reported test-related threshold or subthreshold PTSD compared with only 10.0% of variants and 2.3% of noncarriers. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that both personal and family cancer diagnoses can be significant stressors for a subset of high-risk women. Rates of threshold and subthreshold PTSD related to genetic testing appear to be less common, although carriers may be at higher risk for significant posttraumatic symptoms. CI = confidence interval; DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; GAD = generalized anxiety disorder; MDD = major depressive disorder; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder; SCID = Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; SPSS = Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

Anxiety · Cancer · Distress · Family history · Major depressive disorder · Mood · Posttraumatic stress · Psychiatry · Stressor · Subthreshold conduction · BRCA gene mutations in cancer · Cancer survivorship and care · Clinical Psychology · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology

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