Cancer as a trauma? Risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in cancer survivors

Resumen

Purpose Living with cancer is associated with experiencing excessive stress which can consequently trigger posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present paper examines PTSD and its risk factors in cancer survivors. Methods In a sample of cancer survivors (N = 216), we tested 3 path models illustrating PTSD development in the context of psychological distress, occurrence of stressful events, personality traits, perceived cognitive impairment, social support, selected sociodemographic variables, and variables related to cancer treatment. Results Two proposed models explained 66% of the PTSD variance and one model explained 73% of the PTSD variance and about one third of the variance of perceived cognitive impairment. Both neuroticism and psychological distress significantly predicted PTSD. Neuroticism predicted PTSD both directly and indirectly via experiencing psychological distress. Particularly, the results suggested that this relationship depends on the time that passed since the person was diagnosed with cancer and also on the history of mental disorders. People lacking social support and those who had a history of mental disorders were significantly more vulnerable to PTSD development. Conclusions The findings depict a possible mechanism of PTSD development taking into account different possible combinations of potential risk factors. Implications for Cancer Survivors PTSD can be triggered by many distinct factors. Cancer survivors could benefit from having evidence-based information regarding which conditions can considerably contribute to PTSD development.

Áreas y palabras clave

Cómo citar (APA 7)

Baník, G., & Dědová, M. (2019). Cancer as a trauma? Risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in cancer survivors. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/du623