Intrusive thoughts and psychological distress among breast cancer survivors: Global meaning as a possible protective factor

Previous research has consistently demonstrated a positive association betw een intrusive thoughts about stressful experiences and psychological distre ss. The strength of this relation, however, has varied considerably across studies. To examine the possibility that an individuals's sense of global m eaning (ie, the existential belief that one's life has purpose and order) m ay moderate the relation between intrusive thoughts and psychological distr ess, the authors conducted telephone assessments of 61 women who had surviv ed breast cancer. Results confirmed that the frequency of intrusive thought s was positively related to psychological distress. Global meaning, moreove r, moderated the relation between intrusive thoughts and psychological dist ress consistent with the authors' hypotheses. Among women with lower global meaning, more frequent intrusive thoughts were associated with higher psyc hological distress. No association rt as found between intrusive thoughts a nd psychological distress among those participants with higher global meani ng.