The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between selected emotion regulation strategies, fear of cancer recurrence, and the level of acceptance of living with the disease among women after mastectomy. Due to the limited number of such studies in Poland, particularly regarding fear of recurrence, these relationships were examined comprehensively, drawing on Gross’s (1999) emotion regulation theory and current empirical research.
The study involved 150 women after mastectomy, aged 22 to 73 years (M = 44.67; SD = 8.11), with the time since surgery ranging from 7 days to 19 years. The research was conducted using an online questionnaire, employing standardized psychometric tools to measure emotion regulation, fear of recurrence, and disease acceptance. Statistical analyses included Pearson’s r correlation, stepwise regression, and cluster analysis.
The results showed that social modeling was positively related to acceptance, whereas soothing — contrary to expectations — negatively correlated with coming to terms with the disease. Fear of recurrence was a significant negative predictor of disease acceptance, reducing life satisfaction and hindering adaptation. Enhancing positive affect and reappraisal did not show significant associations with acceptance, which may be related to the specific characteristics of the studied group.
The findings highlight the importance of targeted psychological support and psychoeducational programs that reduce fear and foster constructive emotion regulation strategies, which, in turn, may promote better adaptation among women after mastectomy.