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The Psychological Impact of a False-Positive Screening Mammogram in Barcelona

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the psychological impact of mammographic screening for women who receive negative results and for those who need additional non-invasive and invasive complementary investigations to exclude breast cancer (false positives). One hundred fifty women who attended a breast cancer screening programme in Barcelona, aged 50–69 years, were included in this study: 50 with negative results and 100 with false positive mammograms (50 underwent non-invasive and 50 underwent invasive complementary investigations). Participants worried little until they underwent mammography, but worries increased when a telephone call notified the women of the need for further testing. A substantial proportion of women requiring further assessment reported that they were at least somewhat worried about having breast cancer throughout the screening process (P < 0.0001). Nevertheless, levels of anxiety and depression, measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, showed no statistically significant differences among the three groups. In conclusion, although the women showed no psychological morbidity, there is a substantial psychological response in those with an abnormal screening mammogram.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of C. Alferez who collected data for this project; C. Hernández, I. Collet and M. Esturi for their technical support; and all women who participated in this study.

Conflicts of interest

All authors state they do not have any financial or personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence their work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servei d’Epidemiologia i Avaluació, Hospital del Mar–Parc de Salut Mar, Passeig Marítim, 25-29, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Rebecca Espasa, Cristiane Murta-Nascimento, Maria Sala, Montserrat Casamitjana, Francesc Macià & Xavier Castells

  2. Facultat de Psicologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Rebecca Espasa & Ramón Bayés

  3. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain

    Cristiane Murta-Nascimento, Maria Sala, Montserrat Casamitjana, Francesc Macià & Xavier Castells

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  1. Rebecca Espasa
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  2. Cristiane Murta-Nascimento
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  3. Ramón Bayés
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  4. Maria Sala
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  5. Montserrat Casamitjana
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  6. Francesc Macià
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  7. Xavier Castells
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristiane Murta-Nascimento.

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Espasa, R., Murta-Nascimento, C., Bayés, R. et al. The Psychological Impact of a False-Positive Screening Mammogram in Barcelona. J Canc Educ 27, 780–785 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0349-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0349-9

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