Does dispositional optimism predict psychological responses to counseling for familial breast cancer?

OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to assess the ability of dispositional optimism to predict the psychological responses of women with a family history of breast cancer who had been referred to counseling for familial breast cancer. METHODS: Women completed questionnaires prior to (n=735), immediately after (n=655), and 9 months after (n=545) attending counseling. Breast cancer risk status was assessed and communicated to the women in the clinics. RESULTS: Dispositional optimism was found to predict lower levels of anxiety and breast cancer worries immediately following counseling as well as lower levels of anxiety and perceived risk at 9-month follow-up, controlling for corresponding baseline scores. In addition, risk status moderated the optimism-perceived risk relationship, such that optimism was only predictive of lower risk perceptions among women at high risk. CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of dispositional optimism may be considered to be a risk factor for adverse reactions to high breast cancer risk information. The implications of the findings for the clinical management of such reactions are discussed