Objective: Breast cancer (BC) diagnosis is a potentially traumatic event, the related challenges of which
can trigger positive or negative reactions. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is defined as a positive psychological
change experienced as a result of the struggle. The present study aimed to shed light on the
relationship between the evolution of depressive symptoms over time and PTG in a group of BC
survivors. Method: Depressive symptoms at the time of diagnosis (T0) and 2 years later (T1) were
evaluated to investigate their potential impact on the level of PTG at T1. A total of 147 BC patients were
recruited and divided into 4 groups according to the changes in depressive symptoms they experienced
over time (patients who were never depressed, no longer depressed, still depressed, and depressed now).
A One-way analysis of variance was run to compare the levels of PTG for the four groups. Results: The
One-way analysis of variance showed that PTG score was significantly different among groups with
different levels of depressive symptoms (p .008). Post hoc comparisons indicated that the PTG score
was statistically significantly higher in the no longer depressed group compared with the still depressed
and depressed now groups. Conclusions: The current results suggest that high levels of depressive
symptoms, displayed at the time of cancer diagnosis, can be considered catalysts for PTG at follow-up,
on condition that women experience elevated depressive symptoms only in the first period of the disease.
