Background: Anxious preoccupation is common among Iranian women with stage I–III breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. This study examined sociodemographic, clinical, and interpersonal correlates of anxious preoccupation among women with stage I–III breast cancer receiving chemotherapy in Iran.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study enrolled 200 women with histologically confirmed stage I–III breast cancer receiving chemotherapy at oncology facilities in Kerman, Iran, using purposive convenience sampling. Cancer-related anxious preoccupation was assessed with the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Anxious Preoccupation subscale. Mean scores were compared across participant characteristics using independent-samples t tests and one-way ANOVA, with Fisher’s LSD post hoc testing for significant results.
Results: Among 200 participants, mean anxious-preoccupation scores differed significantly by primary emotional-support source (p = 0.003) and time since breast-cancer diagnosis (p < 0.001). Women identifying parents as their principal emotional supporters reported higher anxious-preoccupation scores than those primarily supported by spouses or children. Scores were highest among women assessed four months after diagnosis and significantly exceeded those reported at three, five, and six months. No significant differences were observed by educational level, marital status, health-insurance type, tumor histology, histological grade, or affected-breast laterality (all p > 0.05). Chemotherapy duration was perfectly collinear with time since diagnosis and produced identical results; therefore, its independent association with anxious preoccupation could not be estimated.
Conclusion: Among women with stage I–III breast cancer receiving chemotherapy, anxious preoccupation was associated with support source and time since diagnosis. Scores were higher four months after diagnosis and among women primarily supported by parents. As chemotherapy duration was collinear with diagnosis timing, psychosocial assessment should consider support networks throughout treatment.