Relationship between locus of control and post-traumatic growth in women with breast cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Currently, instead of focusing on negative outcomes of breast cancer, researchers concentrate on potential positive outcomes which refer to post-traumatic growth (PTG). Objectives: The aim of this research was to investigate PTG and its relation with the locus of control (LOC) in women with breast cancer. Patients and Methods: The samples in this descriptive, correlational research contained 196 participants with breast cancer, who were referred to an oncology center in Qazvin, Iran. Data were collected using the demographic characteristics questionnaire, PTG inventory, and LOC scale. Pearson’s test was applied to assess the relation between PTG and LOC. Results: The mean PTG score was 61.43 ± 12.06, which indicated some degrees of growth in all the participants. Regarding LOC, the majority of the participants (74.5%) were external and the minority of them (25.5%) were internal. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant reverse relationship between PTG and external LOC in the participants (P<0.05; r=-0.253). Conclusion: The significant negative correlation between PTG and external LOC can help health staff, managers, and politicians to enhance the psychological health of women with breast cancer.