Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Maturitas, cilt.81, sa.1, ss.192-193, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
Breast cancer is the most frequent female cancer worldwide. People who have breast cancer may find the physical, emotional, and social effects of the disease stressful. The purpose of this study is to identify the emotional status of patients with breast cancer after prognosis. Target population of the study which is descriptive in nature was all breast cancer patients (n = 15) who had treatment in the oncology clinics of various hospitals located in Adana/Turkey. Average age of the 15 women with breast CA participating in the study was 47.67+/-2.36. Of all the patients, 12 of them were married and average number of children was 2.46+/-0.49. Besides, 8 participants (53.3%) graduated from primary school, 100% knew their diagnosis, 80% learned the diagnosis from their doctors, and all of them had both surgery and chemotherapy. Most of the participants stated that they were shocked and tried to deny the diagnosis at first, they were angry with themselves, some of them isolated themselves from the people around and made promises to themselves to be conducted upon getting better. They also stated that they regretted for not having treated themselves better in the past, they did not quit treatment and they did not have the feelings of social exclusion. Seven participants stated that having breast cancer did not change their strong beliefs, four participants began to have stronger beliefs, and three participants first revolted but then returned to normal. One patient said her beliefs became weaker and she revolted against the disease. Three patients indicated that they fought against the disease all by themselves while the others expressed that the strongest support they had came from their husbands and children. Average age of the participants was found 47.67+/-2.36. Social support can be an important source in decreasing the negative psychological reactions of patients with breast cancer who have had surgical operation and who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.