Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34024017›Full record

ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2022

The effect of treatment and coping on the quality of life in breast cancer patients: a moderated mediation model.

Lorena Gutiérrez-Hermoso, Lilian Velasco-Furlong, Sofía Sánchez-Román, Elisabeth Berzal-Pérez, Natasha Alcocer-Castillejos, Paulina Quiroz-Friedman

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In one paragraph

Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Coping Strategies and Health-Related Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Lorena Gutiérrez-HermosoDepartament of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-2824
Lilian Velasco-FurlongDepartament of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain. lilian.velasco@urjc.es.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6787-324X
Sofía Sánchez-RománDepartment of Neurology and Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán", Mexico City, Mexico.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8619-6398
Elisabeth Berzal-PérezDepartament of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
Natasha Alcocer-CastillejosDepartment of Neurology and Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán", Mexico City, Mexico.
Paulina Quiroz-FriedmanDepartment of Neurology and Psychiatry, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán", Mexico City, Mexico.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2090-2952
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán · MXUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeBreast cancer involves complicated emotional processes. One of the factors that impacts the psychological symptoms and decreases QoL is the side effects of treatment. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of the main medical treatment (chemotherapy or hormone therapy) on the three domains of quality of life. For this, coping strategies were considered as psychological variables that mediate the relationship based on high or low alexithymia as a moderating variable.

methodsThis study had a cross-sectional design. The participant sample comprised 129 women with breast cancer in early stage (I to III) (63 receiving chemotherapy and 66 hormone therapy) and were evaluated from September 2015 to September 2019. Physical, emotional and social functioning were measured by the Quality of Life Questionnaire for cancer patients (EORTC-QLQ-C30), coping strategies were measured by Mental Adjustment to Cancer Questionnaire (MAC) and alexithymia was evaluated by the Alexithymia Toronto Scale (TAS-20).

resultsTreatment had a significant negative effect on physical domain in both patients receiving chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Moderated mediation analysis show that this relationship was significant when it was mediated by helplessness. Furthermore, this model is only significant when there are high levels of alexithymia. No significant effect direct was found on emotional and social functioning of quality of life.

conclusionsResults confirmed that coping based on helplessness and stable emotional variables such as alexithymia can have an effect, mediator or moderator, respectively, in the decrease of the physical functionality of women with breast cancer. Our findings highlight the need to include psychological therapy to help patients alleviate their psychological state because it can affect their physical condition.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsQuality of LifeAdaptation, PsychologicalCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansSurveys and QuestionnairesAlexithymiaBreast cancerCoping strategiesEmotional functioningPhysical functioningQuality of lifeSocial functioningTreatment

Identifiers

PMID34024017
OpenAlexW3164848912

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.