Ruminative Response Styles and Delay of Seeking Diagnosis for Breast Cancer Symptoms

Women with a ruminative style—a tendency to focus repetitively on the meaning, causes, and consequences of their distress—were hypothesized to delay seeking a diagnosis from a healthcare professional for a potentially dangerous breast symptom relative to women without a ruminative style. In Study 1, 147 female “ruminators” and “non–ruminators” read a vignette in which they imagined they had just discovered a change in their breast, completed measures of affect, and reported their intentions to seek care for this breast symptom. Ruminators were significantly less likely to intend to call the doctor immediately after finding an imaginary breast lump than were non–ruminators. In Study 2, 70 women breast cancer survivors recalled the dates related to their symptom finding and their affective responses to symptom finding. Ruminators delayed the presentation of their breast cancer symptoms to a healthcare professional 39 days longer than did non–ruminators. Furthermore, in both studies, the effects of ruminative style on delay appeared to be moderated in part by the experience of positive mood at the time of symptom discovery. The results of these two studies have significant applied implications, suggesting that ruminative response styles play a role in the delay of presentation of health symptoms.