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ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate whether three facets of lung cancer stigma (internalized stigma, constrained disclosure, and perceived subtle discrimination) uniquely predicted psychological and physical health-related adjustment to lung cancer across 12 weeks. Additionally, self-compassion was tested as a moderator of the stigma-health relationship.MethodAdults receiving oncologic treatment for lung cancer (N = 108) completed measures of lung cancer stigma, self-compassion, depressive symptoms, cancer-related stress, and physical symptom bother. Multivariable linear regression models were used to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships (at 6- and 12-week follow-up) between indicators of stigma and health-related outcomes, controlling for covariates. Self-compassion was tested as a moderator of these relationships.ResultsAt study entry, higher internalized stigma, constrained disclosure, and perceived subtle discrimination were associated significantly and uniquely with higher depressive symptoms (all p < .05). Constrained disclosure and perceived subtle discrimination were also associated significantly with higher cancer-related stress and higher physical symptom bother at study entry (all p < .05). Furthermore, higher internalized stigma predicted significant increases in depressive symptoms across 12 weeks and in cancer-related stress across 6 and 12 weeks (all p < .05). Higher self-compassion significantly moderated relationships between perceived discrimination and psychological health outcomes at study entry as well as between internalized stigma and increasing depressive symptoms across 12 weeks (all p < .05).ConclusionsResults indicated robust relationships between distinct facets of stigma and health-related adjustment to lung cancer. Supportive care programs that bolster self-compassion may be useful for reducing lung cancer stigma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The objective of this study was to determine whether: (a) cancer-related coping profiles change across time; (b) coping profile transition types predict changes in depressive and physical symptoms. Latent transition analysis was conducted with repeated measures of seven cancer-related coping processes from 460 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. In multilevel models, coping profile transition groups were entered as predictors of symptoms across 12 months. Three coping profiles emerged at study entry, with two profiles at later assessments. Forty-eight percent of women maintained high-moderate approach-oriented coping over time. Specific factors (e.g., age, acceptance of emotions) differentiated the transition groups. Women who increased and then maintained high-moderate approach-oriented coping had relatively high initial depressive symptoms that declined steeply. When cancer-related acceptance predominated, women experienced increasing physical symptoms. Distinct cancer-related coping patterns are related to the level of and change in depressive and physical symptoms longitudinally. Early intervention to increase approach-oriented coping strategies could yield favorable outcomes.

Our aim was to investigate whether four treatment features (i.e., the inclusion of parental involvement, goal-setting strategies, maintenance/relapse prevention sessions, the addition of booster sessions) were associated with posttreatment and follow-up effect size of youth cognitive behavioral therapies (yCBTs) for anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder in age groups spanning young children to adolescents. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis of 106 yCBTs tested in 76 randomized clinical trials from the PracticeWise Database to examine average effects of yCBTs posttreatment and at a later follow-up assessment. We coded the use of parental involvement, goal setting, booster sessions, and maintenance/relapse prevention in each yCBT and conducted random-effects meta-regression analyses to investigate whether these treatment features were associated with yCBT effects at posttreatment as well as at follow-up. Overall, yCBTs produced large pre- to posttreatment effects (d = 1.05), 95% confidence interval [0.94, 1.15], and larger pre- to follow-up effects (d = 1.29), 95% confidence interval [1.18, 1.40]. Metaregression results indicated that parental involvement was significantly associated with larger pre- to posttreatment effect sizes as well as pre- to follow-up effect sizes. Booster sessions, goal setting, and maintenance/relapse prevention were not significantly related to effect sizes at posttreatment or follow-up. Parental involvement may be helpful for maximizing long-term effectiveness of yCBT. Future studies should investigate for whom and under what conditions inclusion of yCBT treatment features is related to the durability of treatment gains.

IntroductionInternalized lung cancer stigma (i.e., feelings of regret, shame, and self-blame about one's lung cancer) is related to poorer psychological outcomes. Less is known about how internalized stigma relates to physical and functional outcomes or how constrained disclosure (i.e., avoidance of or discomfort about disclosing one's lung cancer status to others) relates to well-being. Furthermore, no study has examined whether internalized stigma and constrained disclosure predict changes in well-being for lung cancer patients. This longitudinal study characterized relationships of internalized stigma and constrained disclosure with emotional and physical/functional outcomes.MethodsParticipants (N = 101, 52.4% male, 63.4% currently/formerly smoked) were lung cancer patients on active medical treatment who completed questionnaires on stigma and well-being at study entry and at 6- and 12-week follow-up. Multivariable linear regressions characterized relationships of internalized stigma and constrained disclosure with emotional and physical/functional well-being at study entry and across time.ResultsParticipants who currently or formerly smoked reported higher levels of internalized stigma (but not constrained disclosure), compared to never smokers (p < 0.001). Higher internalized stigma and constrained disclosure were uniquely associated with poorer emotional and physical/functional well-being at study entry (all p < 0.05), beyond sociodemographic characteristics, time elapsed since diagnosis, and smoking status. Higher internalized stigma predicted significant declines in emotional well-being across 6 and 12 weeks (all p < 0.01) and declines in physical/functional well-being across 6 weeks (p < 0.05).ConclusionsInternalized lung cancer stigma and constrained disclosure relate to emotional and physical/functional maladjustment. Findings carry implications for provider- and patient-focused interventions to reduce internalized stigma and promote well-being.

PurposeSocially disconnected individuals have worse health than those who feel socially connected. The mechanisms through which social disconnection influences physiological and psychological outcomes warrant study. The current study tested whether experimental manipulations of social exclusion, relative to inclusion, influenced subsequent cardiovascular (CV) and affective reactivity to socially evaluative stress.MethodsYoung adults (N = 81) were assigned through block randomization to experience either social exclusion or inclusion, using a standardized computer-based task (Cyberball). Immediately after exposure to Cyberball, participants either underwent a socially evaluative stressor or an active control task, based on block randomization. Physiological activity (systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR)) and state anxiety were assessed throughout the experiment.ResultsExcluded participants evidenced a significant increase in cardiovascular and affective responses to a socially evaluative stressor. Included participants who underwent the stressor evidenced similar increases in anxiety, but systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate did not change significantly in response to the stressor.ConclusionsResults contribute to the understanding of physiological consequences of social exclusion. Further investigation is needed to test whether social inclusion can buffer CV stress reactivity, which would carry implications for how positive social factors may protect against the harmful effects of stress.

PurposeUntil recently, people with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) had a very poor prognosis. New treatment approaches have prolonged the time that people with MBC live, but their quality of life has received less attention. Consequently, the needs and concerns across financial, vocational, psychological, social, and physical domains in MBC patients are poorly understood-particularly regarding the collateral damage or longer-term, life-altering impacts of MBC and its treatments. This study's aims were to characterize MBC-related collateral damage, identify groups most likely to experience collateral damage, and examine its associations with psychological health, illness management, and health behaviors.MethodsParticipants (N = 515) with MBC were recruited from Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation's Army of Women® and other advocacy organizations. Participants completed questionnaires of MBC-related collateral damage, depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-efficacy for managing oncologic treatments and physical symptoms, sleep, and physical activity.ResultsEight domains of MBC-related collateral damage, as well as MBC-related benefit finding, were reliably characterized. Concerns about mortality/uncertainty were most prominent. Participants also endorsed high levels of benefit finding. Participants younger than 50 years, with limited financial resources, or with children under 18 at home reported the most collateral damage. Collateral damage was associated significantly with compromised psychological health, lower illness management efficacy, and poorer health behaviors, beyond sociodemographic and medical characteristics.ConclusionsSubgroups of MBC patients report long-term, life-altering consequences of MBC and its treatments, which relate to important health outcomes. Clinical implications and recommendations are discussed.

ObjectiveSocial disadvantage is associated with markers of physiological dysregulation, which is linked to disease trajectories. Chronic experiences with discrimination are thought to result in the accumulation of physiological "wear and tear" known as allostatic load (AL) among socially marginalized populations such as sexual minorities. Using a nationally representative US sample, we examined whether (1) people who self-identified as homosexual or bisexual display higher levels of AL than heterosexual individuals and (2) subgroups of sexual identity would further differ from each other as a consequence of distinct experiences of marginalization.MethodsWe use data from the 2001-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Employing multivariate regression methods with sex-specific analyses, we examined AL score differences among lesbian/gay (n = 211), bisexual (n = 307), homosexually experienced (n = 424), and exclusively heterosexual (n = 12,969) individuals, adjusting for possible confounding due to demographics, health indicators, and, among men, HIV infection status.ResultsResults indicate that elevated AL was more common in bisexual men compared with exclusively heterosexual men (adjusted β = 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.05 to 0.44), with significantly higher levels of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (adjusted odd ratio = 3.51, 95% CI = 1.46-7.92) and systolic blood pressure (adjusted odd ratio = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.02 to 4.18). Gay-identified men evidenced significantly lower AL (adjusted β = -0.22, 95% CI = -0.41 to -0.04). No significant differences in AL were observed among women.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that physiological dysregulation is more common in bisexual males compared with all other men. The results are discussed with regard to differences in health outcomes between individuals with different sexual orientations.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the independent and interactive effects of social adversity (SA) and HIV infection on subcortical shape alterations and cognitive functions. Participants included HIV+ (n = 70) and HIV- (n = 23) individuals who underwent MRI, neurocognitive and clinical assessment, in addition to completing questionnaires from which responses were used to create an SA score. Bilateral amygdalae and hippocampi were extracted from T1-weighted images. Parametric statistical analyses were used to compare the radial distance of the structure surface to a median curve to determine the presence of localized shape differences as a function of HIV, SA and their interaction. Next, multiple regression was used to examine the interactive association between HIV and SA with cognitive performance data. An HIV*SA interactive effect was found on the shape of the right amygdala and left hippocampus. Specifically, HIV-infected participants (but not HIV-uninfected controls) who evidenced higher levels of SA displayed an inward deformation of the surface consistent with reduced volume of these structures. We found interactive effects of HIV and SA on learning/memory performance. These results suggest that HIV+ individuals may be more vulnerable to neurological and cognitive changes in the hippocampus and amygdala as a function of SA than HIV- individuals, and that SA indicators of childhood SES and perceived racial discrimination are important components of adversity that are associated with cognitive performance.

BackgroundA randomized experiment by Rini et al. (Health Psychol. 33(12):1541-1551, 2014) demonstrated that expressive helping, which involves three expressive writing sessions regarding hematopoietic stem cell transplant, followed by one writing session directed toward helping other stem cell transplant recipients, reduced psychological distress and bothersome physical symptoms among stem cell transplant recipients with elevated survivorship problems, relative to a neutral writing control condition.PurposeThe current study evaluated whether word use reflective of emotional expression, cognitive processing, and change in perspective mediates the effects of expressive helping.MethodThe essays of 67 stem cell transplant recipients with high survivorship problems were analyzed with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Multiple mediation modeling was used to test the hypothesized mechanisms of expressive helping on distress and bothersome physical symptoms.ResultsRelative to the control condition, expressive helping produced significant reductions in psychological distress and marginal reductions in physical symptom bother in the analyzed subset of participants from the parent study. Results indicated that positive emotion word use significantly mediated effects of expressive helping on reduced distress, but only for participants who used average (compared to above or below average) rates of negative emotion words. Cognitive processing and change in perspective did not significantly mediate benefits of expressive helping.ConclusionsExpressive helping carried its positive effects on distress through participants' higher expression of positive emotions when coupled with moderate rates of negative emotions. Findings highlight the benefit of expressing both positive and negative emotions in stressful situations.