Abstract
Background: It is common for Chinese American breast cancer survivors to believe that having cancer is a stigmatizing condition. Little research exists on how this might affect their quality of life (QoL) and through which psychological processes. Objective: In the present study, we examined the association between self-stigma and QoL in a sample of Chinese American breast cancer survivors and tested the potential mediating roles of intrusive thoughts and posttraumatic growth in this relationship. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six Chinese American breast cancer survivors completed a questionnaire packet assessing their levels of self-stigma, intrusive thoughts, posttraumatic growth, and QoL. Results: As hypothesized, findings indicated a significant negative correlation between self-stigma and QoL. Findings from a path analysis indicated significant indirect effects of self-stigma on QoL through intrusive thoughts and posttraumatic growth—the negative correlation between self-stigma and QoL was completely mediated by more intrusive thoughts and less posttraumatic growth. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that self-stigma may harm QoL among Chinese American breast cancer survivors by leading to more intrusive thoughts and not focusing on posttraumatic growth. To attenuate the negative impact of self-stigma on QoL among Chinese American breast cancer survivors, cognition-focused interventions should be utilized to reduce intrusive thoughts and foster posttraumatic growth.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2753-2760 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Quality of Life Research |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2019 |
Keywords
- Asian Americans
- Breast cancer
- Chinese Americans
- Oncology
- Quality of life
- Stigma
- Trauma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health