Short- and long-term anxiety and depression in women recalled after breastcancer screening

The aim was to investigate the psychological consequences of further invest igation after breast cancer screening. Study participants include 509 women (61%) recalled due to suspicious findings on screening mammograms, and a m atched control group of 285 women (68%) with normal mammograms. Psychologic al distress was prospectively assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depres sion Scale (HADS). 46% of the women reported borderline or clinically signi ficant anxiety prior to the recall visit. A few days after the visit, anxie ty and depression had decreased significantly (P < 0.01) in women informed about normal or benign results at the recall clinic, while reported distres s remained at relatively high levels in women referred to surgical biopsy. The results demonstrate the adverse short-term effect of a delay in receivi ng false-positive results, but do not indicate that the recall experience r esults in long-term anxiety or depression for a majority of women. <(c)> 20 01 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.