News and Announcements
COMMENTARY
A Tailored Psychological Intervention Based on Self-Defining Autobiographical Memories and Body Image in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Commentary
Show Less
1
Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan 20141,
Italy
2
Department of Humanities, Federico II University, Naples 80133,
Italy
3
Department of Psychology, Connecticut College, New London 06320, Connecticut,
United States of America
4
Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan 20122,
Italy
HPR 2026 , 14(1), e81240042;
https://doi.org/10.14440/hpr.0189
Submitted: 1 July 2025 | Revised: 25 September 2025 | Accepted: 30 October 2025 | Published: 31 March 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). Licensee Health Psychology Research, USA. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Funding
None.
References
- Martino ML, Lemmo D, Testoni I, et al. Anticipatory mourning and narrative meaning-making in the younger breast cancer experience: an application of the meaning of loss codebook. Behav Sci. 2022;12(4):93. doi: 10.3390/bs12040093
- Sebri V, Martino ML, Singer J, et al. Transformative process in narratives of bodily autobiographical memories: a psychological clinical group intervention with breast cancer survivors. Health Psychol Open. 2025;12. doi: 10.1177/20551029251317905
- Jones SL, Hadjistavropoulos HD, Gullickson K. Understanding health anxiety following breast cancer Psychol Health Med. 2014;19(5):525-535. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2013.845300
- Rodrigues PF, Bartolo A, Albuquerque P. Memory impairments and wellbeing in breast cancer patients: a systematic review. J Clin Med. 2023;12(22):6968. doi: 10.3390/jcm12226968
- Hallford DJ, Rusanov D, Yeow JJE, Berry TJ. Over general and specific autobiographical memory predict the course of depression: an updated meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2021;51(6):909-926. doi: 10.1017/S0033291721001343
- Freda MF, Lemmo D, Auriemma E, De Luca Picione R, Martino ML. From sense to meaning: Narrative Function Coding System for the experience of illness. QRJ. 2022;23(1):41-61. doi: 10.1108/qrj-06-2022-0081
- Beike DR, Lampinen JM, Behrend DA. The Integrative Function of Narrative Processing: Autobiographical Memory, Self-Defining Memories, and the Life Story of Identity. In: The Self and Memory. Psychology Press; 2004:127-148. doi: 10.4324/9780203337974-10
- Cuervo-Lombard C, Raucher-Chéné D, Linden MV der, Voltzenlogel V. Characteristics of Self- Defining Memories in Middle-Aged and Older Adults. CAS. 2021;14(1):39-45. doi: 10.2174/1874609813666201006142514
- Liao HW, Bluck S, Westerhof GJ. Longitudinal relations between self-defining memories and self-esteem: mediating roles of meaning-making and memory function. Imagin Cogn Pers. 2018;37(3):318-341. doi: 10.1177/0276236617733840
- Conway MA, Pleydell-Pearce CW. The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory Psychol Rev. 2000;107(2):261-288. doi: 10.1037/0033-295X.107.2.261
- Sansom-Daly UM, Bryant RA, Cohn RJ, et al. Rumination and self-defining memories in the context of health concerns. Memory. 2016;24(7):939-948. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2015.1059860
- Sansom-Daly UM, Wakefield CE, Robertson EG, et al. Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors’ memory and future thinking processes place them at risk for poor mental health. Psycho-oncology. 2018;27(12):2709- 2716. doi: 10.1002/pon.4856
- Blagov PS, Singer JA, Oost KM, et al. Self- defining memories—narrative features in relation to adaptive and maladaptive personality traits (replication and extension of Blagov & Singer, 2004). J Pers. 2022;90(3):457-475. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12677
- Sebri V, Durosini I, Strika M, Pizzoli SFM, Mazzocco K, Pravettoni G. Virtual reality for the promotion of interoception awareness and body image in breast cancer survivors: a study protocol. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1165905. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1165905
- Harris RE, Ichesco E, Cummiford C, et al. Brain connectivity patterns dissociate action of specific acupressure treatments in fatigued breast cancer survivors. Front Neurol. 2017;8:298. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00298
- McGinty HL, Small BJ, Goldenberg JL, Jacobsen PB. Predictors and patterns of fear of cancer recurrence in breast cancer survivors. Health Psychol. 2016;35(1):1-9. doi: 10.1037/hea0000238
- Meichenbaum D. Stress-inoculation training. In: Cognitive-Behavior Modification: An Integrative Approach. Springer; 1977:143-182. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4757-9739-8_6
- Hamilton R, Miedema B, MacIntyre L, Easley J. Using a positive self-talk intervention to enhance coping skills in breast cancer survivors: Lessons from a community-based group delivery model. Curr Oncol. 2011;18(2):e46- e53. doi: 10.3747/co.v18i2.706
- Nieto M, Navarro-Bravo B, Moreno B, et al. Functioning of autobiographical memory specificity and self-defining memories in people with cancer diagnosis. PeerJ. 2019;7:e8126. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8126
- Martino ML, Sebri V, Singer J, et al. Specificity and integration of meaning in self-defining memories of breast cancer survivors: clinical reflections to promote a narrative identity integration. Front Psychol. 2024;15. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1433266
- Nowlan JS, Wuthrich VM, Rapee RM, Kinsella JM, Barker G. A comparison of single-session positive reappraisal, cognitive restructuring and supportive counselling for older adults with type 2 diabetes. Cogn Ther Res. 2016;40(2):216- 229. doi: 10.1007/s10608-015-9737-x
- Santos B, Pinho L, Nogueira MJ, Pires R, Sequeira C, Montesó-Curto Cognitive Restructuring during Depressive Symptoms: A Scoping Review. Healthcare. 2024;12(13):1292. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12131292
- Wei L, Xie J, Wu L, Yao J, Zhu L, Liu A. Profiles of self‐compassion and psychological out- comes in cancer patients. Psycho-Oncology. 2022;32(1):25-33. doi: 10.1002/pon.5931
- Fan YC, Hsiao FH, Hsieh CC. The effectiveness of compassion-based interventions among cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Palliat Support Care. 2023;21(3):534-546. doi: 10.1017/S1478951522001316
- McAdams Narrative identity. In: Handbook of Identity Theory and Research. Springer NY; 2011:99-115. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_5
- Valsiner An Invitation to Cultural Psychology. SAGE Publications; 2014. doi: 10.4135/9781473905986
- Dehghan M, Hasani J, Moradi A, Mohammadkhani S. Transitional self-disappear: the journey of cancer survivors to self re-coherence in a Middle East society. Support Care Cancer. 2022;30(5):4231-4241. doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06783-9
- Sebri V, Marzorati C, Dorangricchia P, et al. The impact of decision tools during oncological consultation with lung cancer patients: A systematic review within the I3LUNG project. Cancer Medicine. 2024;13(9). doi: 10.1002/4.7159
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
