Feasibility of using risk factors to screen for psychological disorder during routine breast care nurse consultations

This study investigated using risk factors to psychosocial problems to screen for psychological disorders among 100 women with early-stage breast cancer. The National Health and Medical Research Council produced psychosocial clinical practice guidelines for health professionals working with women with breast cancer. They identified risk factors to psychosocial problems in breast cancer. The Breast Cancer-Vulnerability Index (BC-VI), which we developed, is composed of these empirically derived risk factors. This study investigated whether the breast care nurse-administered BC-VI correctly identifies women who had mood and/or anxiety disorders, in comparison with a psychiatric interview. We recruited 100 women with early-stage breast cancer after surgery and before adjuvant treatment. They completed questionnaires and were interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The breast care nurses rated women on the BC-VI using information gathered during clinical consultations. Results indicated that the BC-VI was correlated with diagnoses of anxiety and depressive disorders. However, cutoff scores for the BC-VI were not sufficiently sensitive or specific to use to identify those with clinical disorders. However, this was also the case for the included screening questionnaires. This article discusses the implications of these results and offers suggestions for future research.