#2995 Differences in Psychological Functioning of Breast Care Center Patients with and Without Interest in Complementary/Alternative Medicine Services. B Barfoot, D Euhus, B Haley, G Peters, AM Maddrey; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX As cancer patients have increasingly utilitzed complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) services as an adjunct to conventional medical treatments, researchers have begun to characterize these patients and to identify possible motivating factors related to their interest in such services. Specifically, demographic characteristics, psychological functioning, and quality of life have been demonstrated to be associated with the use of CAM services, although the exact nature of these associations remains unclear. (Burnstein, Gelber, Guadagnoli & weeks, 1999; Crocetti et al., 1998). The current study describes the level of interest in CAM services among breast care center patients and examines differences in psychological functioning and quality of life between patients with and without interest in alternative treatments. Participants included 86 female patients (55 diagnosed with breast cancer, 31 not diagnosed) seen at the Breast Care Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Participants completed measures pertaining to interest in additional services, psychological functioning and quality of life. Results indicated that 42 women (47.8% were interested in receiving CAM services, while 44 women (51.2%) were relatively uninterested. Between-group comparisons revealed that that patients interested in CAM services reported that higher levels of psychological difficulties (e.g. depression, anxiety, etc.) than did patients not interested in CAM services. Interestingly, no differences in quality of life were seen between these two groups. Further analyses revealed no differences in age or education levels between the two groups and no differences in stage of cancer or length of illness between the diagnosed subgroups in each group, thus ruling out demographic and disease-related variables as confounding factors related to patients’ interest in CAM services. These findings suggest that seeking alternative treatment might be a behavior indication of increased psychological distress in cancer patients. Patients use in PA, and NJ Examined Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.