TY - JOUR
T1 - The myth of a cancer-specific temperament: An analysis of affective temperament in cancer patients
AU - Zeilinger, Elisabeth L.
AU - Knefel, Matthias
AU - Erfurth, Andreas
AU - Andrzejewski, Denise
AU - Lesch, Otto
AU - Sturtzel, Caterina
AU - Unseld, Matthias
AU - Lubowitzki, Simone
AU - Bartsch, Rupert
AU - Fuereder, Thorsten
AU - Jäger, Ulrich
AU - Kiesewetter, Barbara
AU - Krauth, Maria T.
AU - Prager, Gerald
AU - Raderer, Markus
AU - Staber, Philipp B.
AU - Valent, Peter
AU - Gaiger, Alexander
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2025/2
Y1 - 2025/2
N2 - Objective: We investigate the prevalence of five affective temperaments (depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable, and anxious) in a large sample of cancer patients and associations of temperament with cancer site as well as the impact of temperament on overall survival of cancer patients. Methods: Data for this prospective cohort study was collected in the outpatient clinic of a large cancer center. We used the Temperament Evaluation in Memphis, Pisa and San Diego – Münster Version (TEMPS-M) and recorded patient data. The sample consisted of 2531 patients with seven different cancer/disease-sites. Kruskal-Wallis tests and pairwise Wilcoxon rank sum test were applied to compare temperament scales across disease groups. For analyzing survival time, we used a Cox regression model and log-rank tests. Results: The five affective temperaments were similarly distributed across all disease groups. We found higher levels of depressive, cyclothymic, and anxious temperament in women and higher levels of hyperthymic and irritable temperament in men. Temperament was mostly not predictive of survival, with only two significant results in the regression models. Here, cyclothymic temperament was predictive of mortality in the full sample and hyperthymic temperament was predictive of the pancreatic cancer subsample. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence to debunk the myth of a cancer-specific temperament. Neither did we find a temperament profile that was different from studies with general population samples, nor were there any disease-specific profiles differentiating various types of cancer.
AB - Objective: We investigate the prevalence of five affective temperaments (depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable, and anxious) in a large sample of cancer patients and associations of temperament with cancer site as well as the impact of temperament on overall survival of cancer patients. Methods: Data for this prospective cohort study was collected in the outpatient clinic of a large cancer center. We used the Temperament Evaluation in Memphis, Pisa and San Diego – Münster Version (TEMPS-M) and recorded patient data. The sample consisted of 2531 patients with seven different cancer/disease-sites. Kruskal-Wallis tests and pairwise Wilcoxon rank sum test were applied to compare temperament scales across disease groups. For analyzing survival time, we used a Cox regression model and log-rank tests. Results: The five affective temperaments were similarly distributed across all disease groups. We found higher levels of depressive, cyclothymic, and anxious temperament in women and higher levels of hyperthymic and irritable temperament in men. Temperament was mostly not predictive of survival, with only two significant results in the regression models. Here, cyclothymic temperament was predictive of mortality in the full sample and hyperthymic temperament was predictive of the pancreatic cancer subsample. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence to debunk the myth of a cancer-specific temperament. Neither did we find a temperament profile that was different from studies with general population samples, nor were there any disease-specific profiles differentiating various types of cancer.
KW - Affective temperament
KW - Oncology
KW - Personality
KW - Psycho-oncology
KW - Survival analysis
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.112015
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85212055303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.112015
DO - 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.112015
M3 - Article
SN - 0022-3999
VL - 189
JO - Journal of Psychosomatic Research
JF - Journal of Psychosomatic Research
M1 - 112015
ER -