Women with false positive screening mammograms: how do they cope?

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging and Diagnostics
• Psychological Impact Assessment
• Public Health Screening

Background:

• Mammography screening aims to detect breast cancer early.
• Recall for further investigation after screening can cause significant psychological distress.
• Understanding long-term impacts is crucial for patient support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the sustained psychological effects on women recalled post-mammography.
• To identify predictors of coping ability in this group.
• To enable earlier identification of women needing additional support.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study in Sweden involving 252 recalled women and 1104 controls.
• Questionnaires, including the Psychological Consequences Questionnaire (PCQ), administered twice (within a week of all-clear and 6 months later).
• Comparison of PCQ scores at 6 months between recalled and control groups.

Main Results:

• Recalled women showed significantly higher anxiety (p < 0.001) at 6 months post-all-clear compared to controls.
• Initial PCQ score was the strongest predictor of 6-month psychological distress.
• Low education, urban residence, and fewer children were associated with greater distress; widows coped better.

Conclusions:

• A subgroup of women with false-positive mammography results are identifiable as being at higher risk for coping difficulties.
• Proactive offering of counseling or support services to these women should be considered.
• Early intervention can mitigate long-term psychological sequelae of screening recalls.