Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Attitudes, perceptions and coping skills of long-term breast cancer survivors

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  • The purpose of this study was to document, through personal interviews, perceptions, attitudes and coping skills utilized by women who have survived breast cancer treated by mastectomy for at least 5 years without recurrence. A semi-structured interview guide was developed with input from professionals in the field. The questions were chosen to elicit the breast cancer survivors' perceptions, attitudes and coping skills on a variety of aspects of having undergone a mastectomy and survived the disease for a minimum of 5 years. Data were collected through personal interviews with a randomly selected group of 30 Oregon women who are breast cancer survivors. Identification of themes, commonalities and differences among the subjects were then analyzed. The interviews were categorized and coded based on eight initial research objectives, as well as differentiated by the subjects' age and length of survival. Subthemes within the categories were also sorted and coded. Subjects acknowledged throughout the interviews that the following five areas of psychosocial concerns exist for the breast cancer patient: 1) psychological factors contributing to emotional distress, 2) the effects of mastectomy on the patient's sexuality and body image, 3) the importance of social support systems contributing to the patient's adjustment and recovery, 4) coping skills that give the breast cancer patient a greater sense of control in dealing with the illness and 5) the particular psychosocial concerns of the younger patient. Differences in perspectives, attitudes and coping skills were noted throughout the interviews and were associated with age and years of survival. The older subjects as well as those who were longer survivors expressed noticeably different responses to many of the interview questions than those who were younger and fewer years past their breast cancer. Recommendations for future research were presented, as well as recommendations for educational intervention programs designed to promote effective coping skills for breast cancer patients. Additional recommendations were provided for the interview guide to improve its effectiveness for future studies.
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