The goal of the proposed research is to understand factors that may influence women's interpretations of breast cancer experience, namely personal beliefs and interpersonal relationships. A study using both qualitativive and quantitative methods is proposed. Approximately 140 breast cancer survivors will complete standardized paper and pencil questionnaires assessing psychological adjustment, interpretation of the breast cancer experience (including causes, consequences, and controllability), personal beliefs, and interpersonal relationships. Twenty of the respondents will then participate in a semi-structured qualitative interview, focusing on the same issues.
Specific aims of the proposed study are: 1) to determine whether any particular aspect of interpretation is better predictor of psychological adjustment than the others; 2) to identify factors that may influence women's interpretations of breast cancer, specifically personal beliefs and interpersonal relationships; and 3) to test a model in which interpretations mediate the association of personal beliefs and interpersonal relationships to adjustment.
