Appraising the self-assessed support needs of Turkish women with breast cancer

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to establish the range of needs of women with breast cancer and to examine how women's needs might form clusters that could provide the basis for developing a standardized scale of needs for use by local breast care nurses in the evaluation of care. The sample consisted of 143 women with breast cancer who were admitted to the outpatient and inpatient oncology clinics in a university hospital in Erzurum, Turkey. The data were collected by questionnaire, and included demographic characteristics and the self-assessed support needs of women with breast cancer. Statistical analyses have shown that the standardized scale of needs has statistically acceptable levels of reliability and validity. The women's support needs mostly clustered in Family and Friends (79%) and After Care (78.3%). The most frequently required support category was Family and Friend; however, the women were in need of support of all categories. In terms of age ranges, there are statistically significant differences in relation to Femininity and Body Image, and Family and Friends of the seven categories. Women experienced a high level of needs associated with a diagnosis of breast cancer. The results in this study should increase awareness among cancer care professionals about a range of psychosocial needs and may help them target particular patient groups for particular support interventions.

Experiences of Turkish Women with Breast Cancer During the Treatment Process and Facilitating Coping Factors

“…Women with breast cancer suffer physical symptoms such as changes in taste, alopecia, nausea, vomiting, mucositis and fatigue due to chemotherapy (Stein et al, 2003). These side effects can lead to psychological problems which affect the patient's activities of daily living (Erci and Karabulut, 2007). In addition to the psychological distress caused by being diagnosed cancer, chemotherapy-related side effects cause psychological distress too.…”

Special Needs of Young Women with Breast Cancer in Limited Resource Settings

“…Erci and Karabulut found significant differences in perceived quality of life in Turkish women between the age groups 20-45 years versus > 54 years, regarding a greater need of support from family and friends 41 . Similarly, Cho et al explored the questions posed mainly by young patients to the physicians and observed a greater need for socioemotional support coupled with informational requests 42 .…”

“…Likewise, in Malayan BC patients, including YW, it has been described that psychological needs were the most frequently unmet. Among the unmet supportive care needs, the most prevalent were uncertainty over the future (78.6%), fear about the cancer spreading (76.1%), feelings of sadness (69.2%), and concerns about death and dying (68.4%) 33,34,41 .…”

“…Specifically, they referred a strong need to adjust to their changed appearance and to have this accepted by their husband/ partners 41 . Another Turkish group with an average age of 40 years (standard deviation [SD] = 5.2), who had been diagnosed with early stage BC and had received various treatments, when they were asked about pregnancy, reported worry about the financial and psychological burden that came with an infant, and feeling anxious about the future and fearful that the disease could recur during and after pregnancy.…”

“…They were particularly interested in signs of recurrence, opportunities for healing, and their family's vulnerability to cancer 41 .…”