Self-reported self-control in breast-cancer patients

”SELF-REPORTED SELF-CONTROL IN BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS” Aims: Previous research in cognitive deficits in cancer patients and in the processes involved in ego-depletion converge to suggest that cancer patients are facing more self-control challenges compared to the background population due to emotional and treatment-related aspects of being a cancer patient. The present study therefore tested the hypotheses that 1) cancer patients would report lower levels of self-control; and 2) self-control would be predicted by depressive symptoms, cancer-related distress, social constraint, and cognitive deficits. Methods: 123 Danish women treated for breast-cancer were invited to complete a battery of self-administered questionnaires; 95 (77%) completed the questionnaires relevant for the present study (BSCS; BDI; IES; SCS; 4 items from the EORCT regarding fatigue, general quality of life, and problems with memory and concentration). The hypotheses were tested by conducting a linear regression analysis in SPSS version 20. Results: The participants did not report lower self-control than the background population (mean = 49.17, SD = 7.21). Data regarding depressive symptoms, cancer-related distress, social constraint, and problems with memory and concentration were log transformed due to positive skewness before being entered as predictors together with fatigue and quality of life. None of these variables predicted self-control in the final model (β = -.27 - .13; adjusted R2 = .15, ∆ R2 = .22 (p<.005). Conclusion: Cancer patients may be facing less self-control challenges than expected. However, it is also possible that the proposed problematic relationship between ego-depletion, cognitive deficits, and self-control challenges needs more time to have an impact. Changes in social support following the end of treatment may influence this process.