Abstract
Depression is common among breast cancer survivors (BCS) and amplified by negative body-related emotions, such as social physique anxiety (SPA), shame, and guilt. This association may be stronger for women who are overweight and/or inactive.This study examined associations between body-related emotions and depressive symptoms among BCS and explored differences for physical activity (PA) and weight status. BCS (n=169; Mage= 55 yrs) provided data on shame, guilt, SPA, PA (accelerometer), and depression symptoms. Many (51%) BCS were overweight, and 29% met PA guidelines of 150 or more weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA. Based on Pearson correlation and Fisher z coefficients, the relationships among depression and shame (r=.14 & .45, z=-2.31), guilt (r=.03 & .43, z=-2.92), and anxiety (r=.13 & .43, z=-2.24) were significantly different for healthy versus overweight BCS. Controlling for weight status, the associations for depression to shame (r=.28 & .39, z=-.67), guilt (r=.22 & .23, z=.06), and anxiety(r=.31 & .21, z=.58) were not significantly different for PA groups. These findings suggest that shame and SPA are highly related, offer contextual evidence for shame and guilt having distinct effects on depressive symptoms, and suggest overweight women who report more negative body-related emotions may be most at-risk for depression.
