Bualuang Sumdaengrit. The symptom experience and self care in Thai women with cervical cancer receiving treatment. Doctoral Degree(Nursing). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2008.
The symptom experience and self care in Thai women with cervical cancer receiving treatment
Abstract:
Cervical cancer has been increasing and has become a major health problem in
Thailand. Being diagnosed with cancer and experiencing various symptoms and side effects
of treatment is a stressful situation. Thus, health care providers need to understand symptom
experience and self care in these women to give good care.
The purposes of this prospective study were to examine the pattern, relationships,
and factors predicting changes in symptom experience and self care in Thai women
receiving treatment for cervical cancer. The Symptom Management Model was used as a
conceptual framework. One hundred and ninety women were recruited from four hospitals: 1
hospital affiliated university, 2 military hospitals, and 1 hospital under the National Cancer
Institute. Participants were asked to complete four questionnaires: the Memorial Symptom
Assessment Scale, the Self Care Diary, the Sense of Coherence (SOC) 13, and the
Demographic, Disease, and Treatment Questionnaires. Data were collected at pre, middle,
and one month post treatment. Description, correlation, and linear mixed models were used
to analyze these data.
The results showed the patterns of symptom experience: symptom occurrences,
frequency, intensity, and distress and number of self-care behaviours increased for a period
and then declined. Interestingly, self-care effectiveness was altered in the opposite direction,
decreasing and then increasing. Each component of symptom experience was positively
interrelated, whereas a number of self-care behaviours were negatively correlated with selfcare
effectiveness. Factors significantly related to symptom experience were age, SOC, type
of treatment, and financial status. Meanwhile, living arrangement, marital status, family
caregivers, and education had no correlation with symptom experience. Factors significantly
related to self care were education, SOC, type of treatment, and financial status but age,
living arrangement, marital status, and family caregivers had no correlation with self care.
Predicting factors for symptom experience were type of treatment, SOC, living arrangement,
and education. Meanwhile, age, marital status, family caregivers, and financial status could
not predict symptom experience. Similar to self care, predicting factors for self care were
SOC, type of treatment, and financial status. However, age, education, marital status, family
caregivers, and living arrangement could not predict self care.
These findings indicate that the Symptom Management Model can partially provide
an empirical explanation of symptom experience and self care in Thai women with cervical
cancer and provide options for better intervention with individuals with cervical cancer
receiving treatment. The use of this framework is recommended for further experimental
study with patients who have other types of cancer