Coping Pattern of Women after Mastectomy

Abstract

Back ground: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide and mastectomy is the most used treatment for breast cancer. Aim: Assessing coping pattern of women after mastectomy. Setting: Outpatient clinics in radiation and nuclear medicine center at Ain Shams University, Faculty of Medicine, Egypt. Sample: A Purposive sample of 160 women were recruted for this study. Tools: First tool: Self administered questionnaire to assess women's sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, practices, needs and problems after mastectomy. Second tool: Coping Scale to assess women's copping pattern after mastectomy. Results: The mean age of women with mastectomy is 48 ± 6.6 years, there was 70.6% of women with mastectomy were had satisfactory level of knowledge. Also, 40.6% of women with mastectomy were had healthy practices and 65% of women with mastectomy had positive coping to mastectomy and 35% had negative coping pattern. Conclusion: There were significant relations between age, educational level, and employment status of studied sample and total level of coping. There was a highly statistical significant relation between level of knowledge among women with mastectomy and their level of coping. There was statistical significant relation between level of knowledge among women with mastectomy and their level of practices. There was a highly statistical significant relation between level of practices among women with mastectomy and their level of coping. Recommendation: Further research studies are needed for ongoing improvement health education from nurses to patients after mastectomy.