Work Productivity Among Younger Breast Cancer Survivors: The Impact of Behavioral Interventions for Depression.

Crespi CM, Ganz PA, Partridge AH, Wolff A, Joffe H, Irwin MR, Thure K, Petersen L, Shih YT, Bower JE. Work Productivity Among Younger Breast Cancer Survivors: The Impact of Behavioral Interventions for Depression. Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. 2024 Mar 1; 27(3):322-329.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions

Search for Abstract from PubMed

---

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: The Pathways to Wellness randomized controlled trial found that 2 behavioral interventions, mindfulness awareness practices and survivorship education, reduced depressive symptoms in younger breast cancer survivors (BCSs) compared with wait-list control. This secondary analysis examines whether the interventions led to reduced loss of work productivity among younger BCSs and whether such reductions were mediated by reductions in depressive symptoms. METHODS: The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment scale was used to measure work productivity loss at 4 assessment time points. Correlates of productivity loss at enrollment were examined using multivariable linear regression. Differences in change over time in productivity loss between each intervention group and control were assessed using linear mixed models. Reduced depressive symptoms were tested as a mediator of reduced productivity loss. RESULTS: Of 247 trial participants, 199 were employed and included in the analyses. At enrollment, higher productivity loss was associated with chemotherapy receipt (P  = .003), younger age (P  = .021), more severe cognitive problems (P  = .002), higher musculoskeletal pain severity (P  = .002), more depressive symptoms (P  = .016), and higher fatigue severity (P  = .033). The mindfulness intervention led to significantly less productivity loss compared with control at all 3 postintervention assessment points (all P < .05), with about 54% of the effect mediated by reduction in depressive symptoms. Survivorship education was not associated with reduced loss of productivity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that addressing depressive symptoms through behavioral interventions, such as mindfulness, may mitigate impacts on work productivity in younger BCSs.