Identifying Factors Associated With Heightened Anxiety During Breast Cancer Diagnosis Through the Analysis of Social Media Data on Reddit: Mixed Methods Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

More than 85% of patients report heightened levels of anxiety following breast cancer diagnosis. Anxiety may become amplified during the early stages of breast cancer diagnosis when ambiguity is high. High levels of anxiety can negatively impact patients by reducing their ability to function physically, make decisions, and adhere to treatment plans, with all these elements combined serving to diminish the quality of life.

Objective

This study aimed to use individual social media posts about breast cancer experiences from Reddit (r/breastcancer) to understand the factors associated with breast cancer-related anxiety as individuals move from suspecting to confirming cancer diagnosis.

Methods

We used a mixed method approach by combining natural language proces

SUBMITTER: Pierce J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11659693 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature