Stress and hopelessness in the promotion of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia to invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(86)90068-1Get rights and content

Abstract

Stress and hopelessness have been associated with the development of invasive cervical cancer by previous research. Subjects in this study were recruited from a colposcopy clinic awaiting work-up of an abnormal pap smear and from those admitted to an in-patient gynecology ward for còne biopsy of the cervix or hysterectomy to treat a symptomatic pelvic mass thought to be uterine leiomyomas. After data collection, pathology reports and colposcopic findings were used to determine group assignment independent of subjects' knowledge of their diagnosis. A modest stress-promotion correlation was derived, which was greatly enhanced by significant interactions with low levels of cooperative coping style and for high levels of premorbid pessimism, future despair, somatic anxiety, and life threat reactivity. These stress-moderator interactions are discussed in terms of immune system deficit with concomitant enhancement of promotion of CIN to invasive squamous cell cervical cancer.

References (45)

  • E Stern et al.

    Carcinoma and dysplasia of the cervix: a comparison of rates of new and returning populations

    Acta Cytologica

    (1963)
  • WT Creasman et al.

    Abnormal cervical cytology: spotting it, treating it

    Contemp Obstet Gynaecol

    (1983)
  • BA Stoll

    Restraint of growth and spontaneous regression of cancer

  • SL Kimzey

    Hematology and immunology studies: the second manned Skylab mission

    Aviation Space Environ Med

    (1976)
  • J Palmblad et al.

    Lymphocyte and granulocyte reactions during sleep deprivation

    Psychosom Med

    (1979)
  • JB Jemmott et al.

    Psychosocial factors, immunological mediation, and human susceptibility to infectious diseases: how much do we know?

    Psychol Bull

    (1984)
  • HS Greer et al.

    Psychological attributes of women who develop breast cancer: a controlled study

    J Psychosom Res

    (1975)
  • SV Kasl et al.

    Psychosocial risk factors in the development of infectious mononucleosis

    Psychosom Med

    (1979)
  • DC McClelland et al.

    Stressed power motivation, sympathetic activation, immune function, and illness

    J Human Stress

    (1980)
  • DC McClelland et al.

    Power motivation, stress, and physical illness

    J Human Stress

    (1980)
  • DC McClelland et al.

    The need for power, stress, immune function, and illness among male prisoners

    J Abnormal Psychol

    (1982)
  • ES Rivera et al.

    Leukocyte migration inhibition assay of tumor immunity in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma

    Cancer

    (1979)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text