Negative life events and carcinoma of the skin

Klin Onkol 2003; 16(6): 253-256.

Summary:
Objectives: In this work, we asked the question whether negative life events increase the probability of the incidence of melanoma of the skin.
Sample and methods: We conducted a survey with the participation of 38 patients with melanoma of the skin, to each of whom we assigned two healthy control individuals of the same gender, age and education level. For the measurement of negative life events, we used a modified version of the life events questionnaire (Social Readjustment Rating Scale – SRRS).
Results: Logistical regression analysis led to the identification of three statistically significant risk factors, which are:

1. the death of someone, who played an important role in the life of the individual,
2. introversion and
3. the interaction between gender and introversion, where it was discovered that introvert females are more susceptible to the disease than extrovert females.

At the same time, it was found that overall patients with melanoma experienced a somewhat greater number of negative life events in the past five years than the control individuals. However, the differences between the groups were not significant.

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