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Reducing behavioural risk factors for cancer: An affect regulation perspective
Daniel O'Leary1, Gaurav Suri2, James J Gross1
1a Department of Psychology , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA.
Psychology & Health
|April 13, 2017
Summary
Many cancer deaths stem from unhealthy behaviors like smoking and overeating, often used to manage emotions. This review proposes a model to understand affect regulation and develop interventions for healthier coping mechanisms to aid cancer prevention.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Health Psychology
- Cancer Control
Background:
- Nearly 50% of cancer deaths are linked to preventable causes, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and overeating.
- These unhealthy behaviors are often employed as coping mechanisms for emotional distress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a conceptual model of affect regulation to understand unhealthy behaviors.
- To integrate research from stress/coping and emotion/emotion regulation traditions.
- To inform the design of interventions for cancer prevention.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing research from stress and coping and emotion and emotion regulation.
- Development of a conceptual model of affect regulation.
Main Results:
- Unhealthy behaviors can be understood as a form of affect regulation.
- Identified areas where research has advanced understanding of behaviors as affect regulation.
- Proposed a model to structure future research for cancer control.
Conclusions:
- Understanding unhealthy behaviors as affect regulation is crucial for cancer prevention.
- The proposed model offers a framework for future research and intervention development.
- Integrating disparate research fields can yield novel insights into health behaviors.
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