Affective temperament and emotion regulation as predictors of clinical outcomes in women with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate affective temperament, emotion regulation, and anxiety-depression symptoms in women with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, and to determine whether these psychological factors predict clinically relevant outcomes.

METHODS

This case-control study included 97 patients with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis and 100 healthy controls. Affective temperament, emotion regulation, and anxiety-depression symptoms were assessed using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses had been performed to identify psychological predictors of recurrence, treatment resistance, and fistula formation.

RESULTS

Between-group analyses showed higher depressive and anxious temperament traits in women with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, greater emotion regulation difficulties, and elevated anxiety-depression symptoms (all p<0.001). Emotion regulation impairment independently predicted treatment resistance (OR 2.86, p=0.004). In contrast, anxious temperament was inversely associated with both recurrence (OR 0.33, p=0.012) and treatment resistance (OR 0.35, p=0.010). No psychological variable predicted fistula formation.

CONCLUSION

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is associated with a distinct psychosomatic vulnerability profile. While impaired emotion regulation increases the risk of refractory disease, anxious temperament may be linked to protective vigilance-related behaviors. These findings support the integration of psychoneuroimmunology-informed psychological assessment into idiopathic granulomatous mastitis management.