Depressive Symptom Trajectories During and After Adjuvant Treatment for Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: The course of depressive symptoms during and after breast cancer treatment is not well understood. PURPOSE: We identified patient subgroups based on distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms and determined whether subgroups could be distinguished by personal characteristics and coping strategies. METHODS: Breast cancer patients completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale on clinically meaningful occasions and during the posttreatment period. The Illness Management Questionnaire was completed prior to treatment. RESULTS: A three-class mixture model provided the best fit to the data. Subgroup membership was significantly (p < .05) associated with marital status, history of depression, and focusing on symptoms. In multivariate analysis, marital status and focusing on symptoms remained significant (p < .05) predictors of subgroup membership. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct trajectories can be identified during and after adjuvant breast cancer therapy. Predictors of these trajectories have implications for addressing depressive symptoms in this clinical population and for future research.