Illness perception is a strong parameter on anxiety and depression scores in early-stage breast cancer survivors: a single-center cross-sectional study of Turkish patients

Background Illness perception has been suggested to have a significant effect on anxiety and depression in cancer patients. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate this on Turkish breast cancer patients with follow-up periods up to 12 years. Patients and methods A total of 225 patients (with 6 months to 12 years follow-up) were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The patients were divided into three groups of follow-up: 6 months-2 years, 2-5 years, and >5 years. Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Duke-University of North Carolina Functional Social Support Questionnaire, and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire were used to assess the depression, anxiety, functional social support (FSS), and illness perception, respectively. Statistical significance of the associations was analyzed using Spearman correlation, Student's t, Mann-Whitney U, and ANOVA tests. Results Rates of moderate-severe anxiety and depression scores were not correlated with follow-up period and disease stage, whereas all these parameters were associated significantly with FSS and age. Parameters of illness perception were also not correlated with follow-up period and stage of disease. However, illness perception scores were noticeably better with increments in FSS. Also, the parameters of illness perception were strongly associated with the depression/anxiety score. Conclusion Illness perception is an important determinant of the depression/anxiety score in Turkish breast cancer patients.