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Background. Due to pathological differences with other chronic diseases, breast cancer causes psychological and emotional problems, such as negative feelings, anxiety and stress. Objectives. The present study aimed to measure the perceived level of stress and its socio-demographic predictors among women with breast cancer. Material and methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 166 women receiving treatment for breast cancer in Ghazi Tabatabaie, Al-Zahra, Vali-Asr and Shams hospitals of Tabriz-Iran in 2017. A convenience sampling method was employed to select the participants. The required data was gathered using Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and then statistically analysed using the independent t-Test, one-way ANOVA, the Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate linear regression analysis. Results. The mean (standard deviation) score of perceived stress was 32.9 (5.2) out of 56. The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that income, education of the mother and marital satisfaction were predictors of perceived stress. These variables predicted 21.5% of the observed variance in the total score of perceived stress. Conclusions. The results indicated that the mean score of perceived stress was higher than average in women receiving treatment for breast cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and execute strategies to reduce stress in such patients, especially those with a family history of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Fahimeh. Shafaie, Mojgan. Mirghafourvand, Jalileh. AmirzehniIntroduction: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women and is responsible for physical and sociomental problems. Evaluation of life quality [...]

Introduction: Quality of life is an important topic in the study of chronic diseases, especially cancer which can have a major effect on patient self-confidence. This study was conducted to determine quality of life and its relationship with self-confidence in women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, analytical study was conducted in 2016 on 166 women with breast cancer undergoing treatment at Ghazi, Al-Zahra, International and/or Shams hospitals in Tabriz. The subjects were selected through convenience sampling. A personal-demographic questionnaire, the Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were completed for each patient. The data obtained were analyzed using independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, multivariate linear regression and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Findings: The mean total score of quality of life was 59.1±17.4, ranging from 0 to 100. The highest mean score was obtained in the cognitive subscale (74.9±23.8) and the lowest in the emotional subscale (51.4±21.1). The mean score for self-confidence was 0.3 with a standard deviation of 0.1, ranging from -1 to +1. There was a significant positive relationship between self-confidence and quality of life, except in three symptom subscales for diarrhea, constipation and loss of appetite (P<0.05). Self-confidence, disease duration, lifestyle, marital satisfaction and caregiver status were among the predictors of quality of life. Discussion: Given the significant relationship between quality of life and self-confidence, health care providers may need to pay special attention to women undergoing treatment for breast cancer and perform timely measures to maintain their belief in themselves., (Creative Commons Attribution License)