Psycho-Oncological Aspects of the Functioning of Women Who Have Breast Cancer: Discussion of the Author’s Research

Author Info

Andrzej Nowicki

Corresponding Author

Andrzej Nowicki
Department of Oncology Nursing, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland

A B S T R A C T

Breast cancer interferes with the emotional sphere of a woman, causes body distortion and permanent disability, and evokes strong negative emotional reactions, such as anxiety, the feeling of insecurity, and anxiety. Also, during and after treatment, women experience not only persistent damage in the psyche but also intimate sensations. The study aimed to assess the quality, acceptance, life satisfaction and depression, and pain of women treated for breast cancer. Evaluation of the impact of the disease on emotional life and ways of dealing with it, among others, using unconventional methods. The studies involved a total of 573 women aged 30 to 79 years of age, suffering from breast cancer at its various stages of treatment. Women with severe comorbidities, BMI> 30 and other cancers were excluded from the study. The approval of the Bioethical Commission of Collegium Medicum of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń was obtained for all the tests. The study used psychometric tests: Quality of Life questionnaire QLQ-C 30 and the QLQ BR-23, Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), Beck Depression Self-Assessment Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Scale of Mental Adaptation to cancer (Mini Mac). The research drew important conclusions and practical implications regarding care for patients with breast cancer. Psychological support is necessary for multi-disciplinary proceedings, not only women, but also persons accompanying the disease. Such a procedure enables the proper course of the treatment process for patients with breast cancer. Research on coping with the disease including pain, depression, adjusting to life in this difficult situation, among others, may affect the outcome. Active struggle with the disease affects the alleviation of ailments and improving the quality of life.

Article Info

Article Type

Research Article

Publication history

Received: Tue 24, Dec 2019
Accepted: Fri 07, Feb 2020
Published: Mon 10, Feb 2020

Copyright

© 2023 Andrzej Nowicki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.PDR.2020.01.03