Psychological Resilience and Health-Related Quality of Life in 418 Swedish Women with Primary Breast Cancer: Results from a Prospective Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Psychological resilience is considered a major protective psychological mechanism that enables a person to successfully handle significant adversities, e.g., a cancer diagnosis. Higher levels of resilience have been associated with higher levels of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in breast cancer (BC) patients, but research examining the longitudinal process of resilience is limited. The aim of this population-based longitudinal study was to investigate resilience and HRQoL from diagnosis to one year later in 418 Swedish women with primary BC. Resilience was measured with the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale 25, and HRQoL was measured with the Short Form Health Survey. The participants responded to questions regarding demographic and study-specific variables. Clinicopathological variables were collected from the Swedish National Quality Register for Breast Cancer. The mean score for resilience was 70.6 (standard deviation, SD = 13.0) at diagnosis and 68.9 (SD = 14.0) one year later, p < 0.001. The level of trust in the treatment and financial situation demonstrated the greatest association with the change in resilience levels. No oncological treatment modality was associated with a change in resilience levels. HRQoL decreased over time in the cohort. Resilience was positively associated with HRQoL at one year post diagnosis, which demonstrates that resilience is an important factor in maintaining HRQoL.