Predictors of psychological outcomes in a longitudinal study of Latina breast cancer survivors

Objective: This study sought to investigate the unique contributions of socio-ecological, cultural and cancer treatment-related factors in predicting depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress among Latinas. Design: Participants were 140 English or Spanish-speaking Latinas (M_age = 50.6) with non-metastatic breast cancer who were assessed within two years of diagnosis (Time 1) and three months later (Time 2).

Main Measures: Hierarchical regression analyses identified predictors of depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress at Time 1 and 2.

Results: Most women scored above the clinical cut-offs for depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress. After adjusting for socio-ecological factors, greater Latino enculturation, measured by Latino ethnic identity, was significantly associated with greater cancer-specific distress at Time 1 (β = .20, p < .05). A significant interaction (p < .01) revealed that among women high on Latino identity, lower English language use was associated with more cancer-specific distress than higher English language use. After adjusting for socio-ecological factors, greater satisfaction with surgical treatment predicted improved depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress across time (β_s range from ?.31 to ?.18, p_s < .01).

Conclusions: Findings elucidate the complex relationship between culture and psychological outcomes in the breast cancer context and suggest that treatment satisfaction might be an important intervention target for Latinas.