Latest analyses show that women with medium or low levels of income are particularly susceptible to anxiety and depression after being diagnosed with the precancerous breast condition, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Published online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that women with financial hardship may benefit from psychosocial interventions that are designed to accommodate their unique needs.
While research suggests that education and financial status, also known as socioeconomic status, can affect mental and physical health, few studies have examined its impact on psychological adjustment following a major stressor such as being diagnosed with a potentially serious medical condition.
For the study, 487 women with newly diagnosed DCIS completed questions about sociodemographic, psychosocial, and clinical characteristics at the time of enrolment and again nine months after their diagnosis. It was found that financial status was inversely associated with distress at the nine month follow up point: women with financial hardship reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than women with no financial hardship. The socioeconomic status also influences changes in anxiety and depression; women with medium to high levels of financial hardship reported an increase in their feelings of anxiety and depression, while women with no financial hardships reported a decrease in their feelings of anxiety and depression over time. Also, the chances of showing the signs of depression increased with increasing financial problems.
The researchers also noted that a woman's education level did not appear to have an impact on whether or not she developed anxiety or depression. Apart from that, the presence of social support did not explain the association between financial status and change in distress; social support did not buffer the effect of low socioeconomic status on anxiety and depression.
The researchers note that women with medium or low socioeconomic status are forced to manage competing stressors i.e. the stress of financial hardship and the stress of a major health event. These associated stressors leave women vulnerable to escalating distress after their diagnosis and thus they may benefit from psychosocial interventions.
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