Breast cancer survivors of different sexual orientations: Which factors explain survivors' quality of life and adjustment?

Abstract

Background: Little is known about differences by sexual orientation in explanatory factors of breast cancer survivors'quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Patients and methods: Survivors were recruited from a cancer registry and additional survivors recruited throughconvenience methods. Data were collected via telephone survey from all 438 survivors, who were disease free anddiagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer an average of 5 years earlier. To explain quality of life, anxiety, anddepression, we focused on sexual orientation as the primary independent factors, in addition, consideringdemographic, psychosocial, clinical, and functional factors as correlates. Results: Sexual orientation had indirect associations with each of the outcomes, through disease-related and demographic factors as well as psychosocial and coping resources. The various explanatory models explain between36% and 50% of the variance in outcomes and identified areas of strengths and vulnerabilities in sexual minoritycompared with heterosexual survivors. Conclusions: This study's findings of strengths among specific subgroups of sexual minority compared withheterosexual survivors require further explorations to identify the reasons for this finding. Most of the identifiedvulnerabilities among sexual minority compared with heterosexual survivors of breast cancer are amenable to changeby interventions. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved.