Huong, Nguyen Thi. Mental adjustment and quality of life in breast cancer patients receiving operation and chemotherapy, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Master's Degree(). Chiang Mai University. Library. : Chiang Mai University, 2021.
Mental adjustment and quality of life in breast cancer patients receiving operation and chemotherapy, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Abstract:
Patients with breast cancer undergoing operation and chemotherapy might suffer from both the disease and treatment, therefore, mental adjustments are needed for coping. These adjustments might affect all aspects of quality of life. The purpose of this descriptive correlation research study was to identify types of mental adjustment, impact on quality of life, and examine the relationship between mental adjustment and quality of life among breast cancer patients undergoing operation and chemotherapy. Purposive sampling was used to select 150 breast cancer patients undergoing operation and chemotherapy at Hanoi Oncology Hospital in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The research instrument included a Demographic Data Form, the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (MAC) developed by Watson et al. (1994) and Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy - Breast Cancer version 4 scale developed by Brady et al. (1997). FACT-B version 4 was developed based on FACT-G questionnaire which contains four subscales (physical well-being, social/family well-being, emotional well-being, functional well-being) combined with breast cancer subscale. The Cronbachs alpha coefficients of the MAC and FACT breast cancer version 4 was .87 and .82, respectively. Descriptive statistics and the Spearmans Rank order Correlation were used to analyze the data.The study results indicated that:1. Five types of mental adjustment were used altogether in 5 types, which were helplessness/hopelessness, anxious preoccupation, cognitive avoidance, fighting spirit, and fatalism. The mean score of those were 2.65, 2.64, 2.45, 2.31 and 2.64, respectively.2. The mean total score of FACT-G and FACT-B were 53.35 (SD = 17.15) and 72.78 (SD = 21.46) respectively. The mean scores for the FACT-G subscales; physical well-being, social well-being, emotional well-being and functional well-being were 11.31 (SD = 5.26), 16.71 (SD = 5.21), 10.69 (SD = 3.79), and 15.65 (SD = 5.45) respectively.3. Fighting spirit had a positive significant correlation with all subscales of quality of life (physical well-being, social/family well-being, emotional well-being, functional well-being and breast cancer subscale) (rs = .59, .59, .58, .69, .58, p < .01, respectively). Fatalism also had a positive significant correlation with all subscales of quality of life (rs = .55, .51, .61, .62, .59, p < .01, respectively). However, helplessness/hopelessness had a strong negative correlation with all subscales of quality of life (rs = -.69, -.65, -.66, -.71, -.68, p < .01, respectively).The results of this study could benefit clinical nurses by providing them with information to promote effective mental adjustment for breastcancer patients. Effective mental adjustment can improve quality of life of patients by helping them deal with their breast cancer diagnosis as well as operation and chemotherapy.