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Psychological attitudes and risk of breast cancer in Japan: a prospective study
Kenji Wakai1, Masayo Kojima, Kazuko Nishio
1Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8681, Japan. wakai@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Objective:
To examine the association between psychological factors and the risk of breast cancer prospectively in a non-Western population.
Methods:
Data from the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) study were analyzed. From 1988 to 1990, 34,497 women aged 40-79 years completed a questionnaire on medical, lifestyle and psychosocial factors. The rate ratios (RRs) of their responses were computed by fitting to proportional hazards models.
Results:
During the mean follow-up period of 7.5 years, 149 breast cancer cases were documented. Those individuals who possessed "ikigai" (Japanese term meaning something that made one's life worth living) showed a significantly lower risk of breast cancer (multivariate-adjusted RR=0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.47-0.94). Those who perceived themselves as able to make decisions quickly also had a lower risk of breast cancer (multivariate-adjusted RR=0.56; 95% CI=0.36-0.87). The other factors investigated, including ease of anger arousal and self-perceived stress of daily life were not associated with breast cancer risk.
Conclusions:
Although further studies will be necessary to verify these findings, our results suggest that having "ikigai" and being decisive decrease an individual's subsequent risk of breast cancer.
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