Predictors of cancer progression in young adult men and women: avoidance, intrusive thoughts, and psychological symptoms

Abstract

Psychological symptoms, avoidance, and intrusive thoughts were examined prospectively as predictors of cancer progression over a period of 1 year. Sixty-six male and female cancer patients who differed in their diagnoses and initial disease-severity ratings participated. Measures of psychological factors, disease severity, and type of treatment were obtained near time of diagnosis and disease status (no cancer, continued or recurrent cancer, or deceased) 1 year later. Cross-sectional analyses near the time of diagnosis showed that initial psychological variables were intercorrelated with one another but unrelated to initial disease prognosis. Longitudinal findings revealed that, after controlling for initial disease parameters and age, avoidance predicted disease status 1 year later; however, neither psychological symptoms nor intrusive thoughts and emotions accounted for additional variance in disease outcomes.