Breast cancer screening with mammography is a cornerstone of early detection and improved survival. Despite its clinical value, pain and discomfort during mammography are recognized barriers to participation. Perception of pain during the procedure is shaped by technical factors and a range of psychological variables. The protocol highlights anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing as psychological constructs previously linked to pain during mammography, while noting that evidence remains inconsistent. The role of personality traits in shaping the mammography pain experience has been little explored, creating a gap that this study aims to address.
The primary objective is to investigate associations among psychological factors (anxiety, depression, pain catastrophizing), Ten-Item Personality Inventory personality traits, and the perceived pain intensity experienced by women undergoing routine mammography in Cyprus. The study specifically hypothesizes that higher anxiety levels and being a first-time mammography participant will be associated with greater perceived pain during the procedure.
This is a cross-sectional observational study conducted in public and private radiology centers in Cyprus. The protocol follows standard cross-sectional methods for observational epidemiology and indicates adherence to the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines for reporting.
The planned sample size is approximately 380 women aged 35 to 75 years who present for routine screening mammography. Recruitment and data collection commenced in March 2026. Following study initiation, the investigators expanded the study setting to include a public radiology center to facilitate recruitment and improve representativeness. As of June 2026, 50 women had been enrolled. Recruitment and data collection are expected to continue through September 2026. The abstract does not provide detailed inclusion/exclusion criteria or the specific sampling strategy beyond the age range and setting.
Participants will complete a set of validated brief instruments and a demographic/clinical questionnaire prior to the mammogram. The instruments specified in the protocol include:
The primary outcome, perceived pain intensity during mammography, will be assessed immediately after the procedure using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS).
Primary outcome:
Main independent variables:
Secondary analyses:
The abstract does not report additional secondary endpoints or detailed operational definitions beyond those listed above.
Descriptive statistics will summarize participant demographic and clinical characteristics and scale scores. Associations between study variables and perceived pain intensity will be explored using Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses, depending on variable distributions. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models will be used to evaluate independent associations between psychological/personality variables and pain intensity while adjusting for relevant confounders. The abstract states models will be adjusted for pertinent covariates but does not enumerate specific covariates or the hierarchical modeling steps.
The study will be conducted and reported in accordance with the STROBE guidelines for observational studies. The abstract does not provide specific details on ethics approval, informed consent procedures, or data protection measures; those details were not reported in the abstract.
These timeline milestones are those reported in the abstract; any updates beyond these dates are not available in the source text.
If the study confirms the hypothesized associations, the authors propose that early identification and management of psychological factors related to pain perception during mammography may improve women's overall experience, increase comfort during the procedure, and potentially enhance adherence to breast cancer screening programs. The abstract emphasizes inconsistent prior findings regarding psychological contributors and notes the limited exploration of personality traits, which this study aims to address.
Limitations and unspecified details in the abstract include the absence of reported sample size justification or power calculation, the specific inclusion/exclusion criteria, precise covariates for regression adjustment, and detailed ethical approval information. These were not reported in the abstract and thus are not presented here.
This summary is based on the JMIR Research Protocols abstract indexed in PubMed (PMID: 42640226; DOI: 10.2196/92804). The full protocol and additional methodological details may be available in the original JMIR Research Protocols publication; the abstract served as the source for this rewritten content.