A prospective longitudinal study of post-traumatic stress symptoms and its risk factors in newly diagnosed female breast cancer patients

Post-traumatic stress symptoms are one of the most commonest, but un-recognized psychological morbidity found in female breast cancer patients. However, there are insufficient prospective studies concerning the trajectory of post-traumatic stress symptoms and their risk factors in Nigerian women living with breast cancer. To determine the changes in the prevalence and risk factors of post-traumatic stress symptoms among newly diagnosed female breast cancer patients across different timelines over 6 months. This was a prospective longitudinal study of 183 newly diagnosed female breast cancer patients selected using a systematic random sampling method. The Six-Item Impact of Events Scale, Visual Analogue Scale of Pain, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast, and a Socio-Demographic questionnaire were administered to the participants. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms was 46%, 31%, and 22% at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months respectively, indicating a decline in post-traumatic stress symptoms over time. In the final assessment at 6 months, identified risk factors of post-traumatic stress symptoms were: religiosity, accessibility to treatment, illness perception, chemotherapy, and quality of life. Post-traumatic stress symptoms are prevalent in newly diagnosed female breast cancer patients, there is a need for regular screening of these symptoms in these women to allow for early psycho-social intervention, and better treatment outcomes.