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Abstract Objective There is a connection between resilience and subjective cognitive symptoms in medical populations. However, there is limited understanding of this relationship in cancer survivors, and no studies examine whether subjective cognition may change from pre- to post-resilience training in these patients. This study examined the relationship between subjective cognitive function and resilience in non-CNS cancer survivors who participated in a resiliency training intervention and investigated potential influences of change in subjective cognition. Method Adult cancer survivors at Massachusetts General Hospital (N = 275, Mage = 55.2, 87.3% female) participated in the Stress Management and Resilience Training-Relaxation Response Resilience Program (SMART-3RP) and completed self-report measures assessing subjective cognitive function, resilience, depression, and worry at pre-post the group intervention. Cross-sectional relationships were evaluated using hierarchical regression modeling. Repeated measures ANCOVA assessed differences in subjective cognition from pre-post, controlling for age and time since diagnosis. Mediation modeling assessed whether mental health symptoms change alongside subjective cognition and account for the relationship with resilience. Results Results revealed a significant relationship between subjective cognitive function and resilience at baseline (β = 0.35, p 0.001) and a significant change post-SMART-3RP (F(1, 77) = 6.09, p = 0.016). Patients experienced a decrease in cognitive concerns while making gains in resilience (β = 0.39, p 0.001). Changes in depression and anxiety did not mediate the relationship between resilience and subjective cognitive function (p’s 0.05). Conclusion It may be possible to refer survivors to programs, such as the SMART-3RP, to manage their subjective concerns, in the absence of objective cognitive deficits.
Zarrella et al. (Thu,) studied this question.