Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

School

Psychology

Committee Chair

Dr. Stephanie D. Smith

Committee Chair School

Psychology

Committee Member 2

Dr. Megan E. Renna

Committee Member 2 School

Psychology

Committee Member 3

Dr. Kelsey A. Bonfils

Committee Member 3 School

Psychology

Abstract

Breast cancer is among the most prevalent forms of cancer and is a primary cause of death among women (Wang et al., 2020). Cancer patients experience higher levels of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and inflammation compared to non-cancer patients, which can predict a diminished quality of life but also contribute to higher mortality rates among cancer patients (Bortolato et al., 2016; Song et al., 2022). Diet has the potential to impact the manifestation of depressive and anxiety symptoms in both healthy individuals and those battling cancer. This study explored the association between dietary habits, specifically cholesterol, fiber, saturated fat, added sugar, and protein consumption, and both biological (e.g., inflammatory biomarkers such as c-reactive protein [CRP] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and psychological (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms) functioning in breast cancer survivors. Breast cancer survivors (N = 170, stages 0-IIIa) were recruited from James Cancer Hospital breast cancer clinics at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the Army of Women website. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). All women also completed a 24-hour multi-pass food recall interview and provided blood samples to test for inflammation. A hierarchical regression found no significant association in dietary variables (i.e., cholesterol, fiber, saturated fat, sugar, and protein), psychological symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety), and IL-6 in breast cancer survivors. However, there was a significant association between protein and CRP (p = .046), and cholesterol and IL-6 (p =.041) in breast cancer survivors. There were no significant differences in outcomes for depressive, anxiety symptoms, and inflammation based on the consumption of the recommended amount of dietary variables. However, there was a significant difference in increased amount of fiber consumption with lowered CRP levels (p = .033). Overall, the findings may inform clinicians and physicians on the importance of mitigating psychological symptoms and inflammation by implementing healthy dietary patterns for breast cancer survivors.

ORCID ID

0000-0002-3205-8843

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