Psychological distress in women with a familial risk of breast cancer

In the present study women at familial risk for breast cancer (N = 26, risk group) underwent psychological assessments on two occasions: immediately prior to mammography screening and a month after notification of their normal results. Assessments included standardized measures of: acute distress; non‐specific distress; intrusive thoughts; and avoidance about breast cancer. Normal risk women not undergoing mammography (N = 27, comparison group) completed the same measures, to provide an indication of concurrent levels of distress in women recruited from the same community. Results revealed that, prior to mammography, the risk group had high levels of acute distress, which were reduced to the level of the comparison group following notification of normal mammography results. On the other hand, despite notification of normal results, the risk group continued to have higher levels of non‐specific distress, avoidance and intrusive thoughts about breast cancer. These results confirm and extend previous reports of high levels of non‐specific distress and intrusive thoughts in women at familial risk for breast cancer. The findings highlight the need for further studies to determine the sources of this distress and its possible negative consequences for these individuals at risk for cancer.