Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Most studies were cohort studies. Only articles that provided data and were not exclusively case reports, single group analyses, or explanatory studies were included. Because of the relatively undeveloped nature of the field, non-experimental studies and cross-sectional surveys were included. However, anecdotal and case reports were excluded.
Specific interventions included in the review
Mammography.
Reference standard test against which the new test was compared
The review did not include any diagnostic accuracy studies that compared the performance of the index test with a reference standard of diagnosis.
Participants included in the review
6062 Women were included in studies on psychological responses to abnormal mammograms and 4247 women were included in general studies on psychological aspects of the mammography experience.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Psychological aspects (mood, stress, anxiety, depression, somatic arousal, worry about illness, concern about pain, and fear of dying), frequency of breast self-exam, quality of life, painfulness and unpleasantness of mammography, pain and discomfort.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.