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. 2021 Jan 28;8(1):2055102920987463.
doi: 10.1177/2055102920987463. eCollection 2021 Jan-Jun.

From breast cancer surgery to survivorship: Insecure attachment tendencies predict negative psychological outcomes

Nicolas Favez  1 , Tania Antonini  1 , Jean-François Delaloye  2 , Sarah Cairo Notari  1
Affiliations

From breast cancer surgery to survivorship: Insecure attachment tendencies predict negative psychological outcomes

Nicolas Favez et al. Health Psychol Open. .

Abstract

Little is known about the variables explaining individual variability in the long-term adaptation of breast cancer survivors. Attachment tendencies have, however, been shown to explain negative psychological outcomes in the postsurgical period. The present study aimed to assess the continuing influence of attachment tendencies in the survivorship period. A sample of 28 women were surveyed 2 weeks, 3 months, 12 months, and 5 to 7 years after surgery. Attachment tendencies and psychological outcomes (distress, body image, sexuality) were assessed through questionnaires, and medical and sociodemographic data collected. Results show that insecure attachment tendencies predict negative body image and elevated distress.

Keywords: attachment tendencies; body image; breast cancer; distress; sexuality; survivorship.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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