Breast cancer survivors who are able to let go of old goals and set new ones experience an improvement in overall well-being, according to a new collaborative study published in Psycho-Oncology. Researchers Carsten Wrosch, Concordia University Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Human Development, and Catherine Sabiston, McGill University Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the Health Behaviour and Emotion Lab, discovered that once the self-induced pressure of now improbable goals was removed, individuals’ quality of life and physical activity level improved.
For the study, researchers used self-reports of 176 breast cancer survivors between the ages of 28 and 79, who were approximately 11 months past their diagnosis and close to 3 months posttreatment, on average. At the beginning of the study, the participating individuals reported on their own ability to adjust their goals. Concurrently, self-reports of physical activity, sedentary activity, emotional well-being, and daily physical symptoms were also measured.
Another round of self-reports were assessed 3 months later, and researchers discovered that the ability to set new goals correlated with added physical activity, increased emotional well-being, and fewer physical symptoms.
“By engaging in new goals a person can reduce the distress that arises from the desire to attain the unattainable, while continuing to derive a sense of purpose in life by finding other pursuits of value,” says Wrosch. “Abandoning old goals allows someone to invest sufficient time and energy in effectively addressing their new realities.”
Recent guidelines have suggested that to gain health benefits, breast cancer survivors should participate in at least 150 minutes of physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity every week. Yet, breast cancer survivors tend to be more sedentary than women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Our research reveals that the capacity to adjust goals plays a pivotal role in facilitating not only high physical activity but also low sedentary activity and thereby contributing to overall improved well-being,” says Wrosch. “Given that it is possible to influence adjustment to specific goals, it may be beneficial to integrate goal adjustment processes into clinical practice.”
Source: Concordia.