Althoughourstudyhadalargesample,atleastonelimitationshouldbenoted. Themajorityofoursamplewerenon-Hispanicwhitewomenwhowerewell educated.Thishomogeneity(whichtypifiesresearchinpsycho-oncology)places cautionongeneralizingtomorediversepopulations.Despitethislimitation,the studymakesseveralcontributions.Thefindingsfurtherilluminatemechanisms bywhichoptimismislinkedtobetterpsychosexualadaptation.Ourdatasuggest thatanoptimisticorientationtolifeplaysanimportantroleinpatients’ perceptionsofsupportavailabletothemduringthiscrisis.Thisperceptionof socialsupport,inturn,facilitatesfeelingsoffemininityandattractiveness.This phenomenonseemstooccurconsistentlyoverthecourseofayearandoccurs similarlyforpartneredandsinglewomen.