Activity disruption and depressive symptoms in women living with metastatic breast cancer.
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Women with breast cancer are at increased risk of depression, and the extent to which valued activities are disrupted by one's illness has been correlated with depressive symptoms in women with early stage breast cancer. This association has not been examined in women with Stage IV (metastatic) cancer, and the temporal directionality of this relationship remains unclear. The goal of the current study was to examine longitudinal, reciprocal relationships between illness-related disruption of social and recreational activities and self-reported symptoms of depression in a sample of women living with Stage IV breast cancer. METHOD: Participants were 103 women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Women completed measures of depressive symptoms and activity disruption at study entry (T1) and at 3-month follow-up (T2). RESULTS: Activity disruption at study entry did not significantly predict changes in total depressive symptoms or in negative affective or somatic symptoms but did predict reductions in positive affect. Total depressive symptoms at study entry predicted increases in activity disruption, as did negative affective symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms, specifically negative affective symptoms such as sadness, may exacerbate social and recreational activity disruption in women with metastatic breast cancer. Cancer-related activity disruption may, in turn, result in reductions in positive affect. These results highlight the importance of examining specific constellations of depressive symptoms and suggest that maintaining valued activities may help to preserve enjoyment of life for patients with Stage IV cancer.
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Another study of metastatic breast cancer patients found that greater depressive symptoms predicted increases in global perceptions of activity disruption over a 3-month period.
“Another study of MBC patients found that greater depressive symptoms predicted increases in global perceptions of activity disruption over a 3-month period [15].”
From Symptom experiences in metastatic breast cancer patients: relationships to activity engagement, value-based living, and psychological inflexibility (2017) · cites this paper as [15]
The Results report that higher depressive-symptom scores at study entry predicted increased activity disruption three months later in women with metastatic breast cancer. However, the Methods describe a six-item measure limited to disruption of social and recreational pursuits, and the Discussion says it may not capture the full range of valued activities. Calling the outcome “global perceptions of activity disruption” overstates its scope. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPreliminary evidence suggests that symptoms may disrupt the daily activities of metastatic breast cancer patients.
“Preliminary evidence suggests that symptoms may disrupt the daily activities of MBC patients [3, 15].”
From Symptom experiences in metastatic breast cancer patients: relationships to activity engagement, value-based living, and psychological inflexibility (2017) · cites this paper as [15]
The Results and Discussion report that depressive symptoms, particularly negative affect, predicted increased disruption of social and recreational activities in women with metastatic breast cancer. The claim is broader: the study did not assess cancer-related physical symptoms or the full range of daily activities (Discussion; page not provided). (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMBC patients experience persistent symptoms that cause suffering, impairment, and disability.
“While there are medical advances to increase the longevity of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, important symptoms persist that are a major source of suffering, impairment, and disability [2–8].”
From Acceptance and commitment therapy for symptom interference in metastatic breast cancer patients: a pilot randomized trial (2018) · cites this paper as [6]
The Results report depressive symptoms and illness-related disruption of social and recreational activities in women with metastatic breast cancer; the Discussion says both were relatively stable over three months. The paper did not assess cancer-related physical symptoms, and it does not establish the broader claim that persistent symptoms cause suffering and disability in MBC patients generally. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredFatigue often co-occurs with sleep disturbance, cognitive concerns, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and this co-occurrence impairs daily activities.
“Fatigue frequently co-occurs with a number of symptoms, such as sleep disturbance, cognitive concerns, anxiety, and depressive symptoms [4, 5], resulting in impaired daily activities [1, 5, 6].”
From Protocol of a randomized trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for fatigue interference in metastatic breast cancer (2020) · cites this paper as [6]
The Results and Discussion (page numbers unavailable) report that depressive symptoms, particularly negative affect, predicted later disruption of social and recreational activities in women with metastatic breast cancer. The paper does not establish that fatigue co-occurs with sleep disturbance, cognitive concerns, anxiety, and depression, or that this symptom cluster causes the disruption. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Low, C. A., & Stanton, A. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Venue
- Health Psychology
- Published
- 2015-01
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 89-92
- ISSN
- 0278-6133 (ISSN-L)
- 1930-7810
- PMC
- PMC4859754
- OpenAlex
- W1976034257
- Cited by
- 23
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 0.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- University of California (10IB-0079)
- UCLA
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Women's cancer prevention and management
- Keywords
- metastatic breast cancer, depressive symptoms, social and recreational activities, positive affect, negative affect, somatic symptoms, women with cancer
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Breast Neoplasms, Depression, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Middle Aged, Neoplasm Metastasis, Neoplasm Staging, Risk Factors
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