Coping with threat: Implications for women with a family history of breast cancer

The study aims to determine whether there are differences in coping with the threat of breast cancer between women with a family history of such cancer and those with no such history. The sample consisted of 93 women who have a family history of breast cancer and 142 women who do not have such a history (each group divided into four subgroups), all of whom were referred to a breast health clinic in northern Israel. Psychological distress was measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, personal coping resources were measured by the Sense of Coherence scale, the coping process was measured by the Health Opinion Survey, and the denial mechanism was measured by denial scales. The results showed that women at high risk for breast cancer who came to the clinic for a regular checkup and who had a symptom showed more symptoms of psychological distress than any of the other groups. The establishment of special clinics for women with a family history of breast cancer is recommended to provide counseling in coping skills in addition to medical examinations.