Zhang N, et al. - Among head and neck cancer survivors, researchers evaluated illness perceptions and if they predicted ensuing psychological distress. They surveyed 124 survivors of head and neck cancer with measures of psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), illness perceptions (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire), dispositional optimism (revised Chinese version of the Life Orientation Test), and clinical and demographic data approximately 12.9 months after diagnosis (T1), with psychological distress again measured six months later (T2). Psychological distress was predicted by the perceived illness identity, thereby accounting for modest levels of distress variance. Distress may be exacerbated by unresolved symptoms. They noted a significant intercorrelation of illness perception dimensions, explaining 8.0% of anxiety and 4.8% of depression symptom variability at T2 (at 6 months). After adjustment for T1 (12.9 months after diagnosis) distress, T2 anxiety symptoms were predicted by the illness identity and sex identification as a woman while T2 depression symptoms were predicted by the illness identity, unemployment, and pessimism.