Cognitive Avoidance, Intolerance of Uncertainty and Emotion Regulation in Women with and without Breast Cancer

Many women with breast cancer suffer from the psychological problems associated with cancer, and the patients' psychological well-being is deteriorating daily. This study aimed to compare cognitive avoidance, intolerance of uncertainty, and emotion regulation in women with and without breast cancer.

The research method was causal-comparative. The statistical population of this study was all patients with non-metastatic breast cancer referred to the Shahid Motahari clinic, selected by the convenience sampling method (n=100). Also, all women referring to primary schools in District 2 of Shiraz during the same two-month period were selected as cancer-free and healthy women (n=100) for comparison with the group of women with breast cancer. The data were collected by Sexton and Dougas’s Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire, Freestone, Ryuma, Retarte, Dogas, and Ladosaur’s Intolerance and Ambiguity Questionnaire, and Garnfski and Craig’s short questionnaire of Cognitive Emotion Regulation. Data were analyzed using (MANOVA).

The results showed a significant difference between women with breast cancer and without cancer in the components of cognitive avoidance (P<0/029), intolerance of uncertainty (P<0/0001), and emotion regulation (P<0/046).

 Findings showed a difference between cognitive avoidance variables, intolerance of uncertainty, and emotion regulation in women with breast cancer and those without cancer. Therefore, identifying psychological factors and their role in women with breast cancer help reduce the problems of women with breast cancer.