Mood State of Women with Breast Cancer and that of Their Spouses

Abstract

Article linked to research: Sexual health and impact upon women subjected to treatments due to breast cancer and their sexual partners.Fundings. Colombian Institute for the Development of Science and Technology (COLCIENCIAS), forgivable loan granted to the principal author through the call: "support for the national scientific community, through national PhD programs 2008". Conclicts of interest: NoneReceived on: July 28, 2015. Objectives. This work sought to determine mood levels of women subjected to treatments for breast cancer and of their spouses. Methods. Descriptive cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic sampling. The profile of mood states (POMS) instrument, Spanish version, was applied to a sample of 103 couples from five Colombian cities.Results. The mood level in women reported a mean of 61.4 ± 5.7 and 60.7 ± 4.9 in their spouses, without being statistically significant. Upon analyzing the score of the mood subscales, statistically significant differences were only noted in tension (higher score in spouses) and fatigue (higher score in women). Conclusion. The emotional area was moderately affected in the study couples, which could be consequential of late effects of the treatments for breast cancer. Nursing must develop care actions that promote the emotional wellbeing of women with breast cancer and include participation from the spouses.Key words: mood; breast neoplasm; husbands; women's health; expressed emotion; nursing research; crosssectional studies.Estado de ánimo en mujeres con cáncer de mama y en sus parejas.