Qingyue Zhang

MMed, RN, Nurse, Department of Nursing, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute &Hospital

Psychosocial Predictors of Adjustment to Disability Among Patients With Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study 

Abstract

Background: Acceptance of disability is related to adaptation to disability in that represent a process of value changes that is important for individuals to willingly accept oneself as an intrinsically worthy person. Acceptance of disability (AOD) play an important role in the adjustment of physically disabled persons to their environmrnts. Yet the study on the level of AOD in breast cancer remain blank.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore significant factors related to disability acceptance in Chinese women with breast cancer.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 292 patients with breast cancer between January and April in 2017. Participants were assessed with the Acceptance of Disability Scale-Revised, Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire, Sense of Coherence Scale, Social Relational Quality Scale and general assessment. A multiple regression was used to determine the factors associated with the level of disability acceptance.

Results: The mean score for AOD was 79.14, ranging from 32 to 128. Multiple regression analysis indicated that family intimacy, friendships, confrontation, manageability, family commitment, marital status, surgery and acceptance -resignation significantly affected disability acceptance and explained 49.1% of the total variance in disability acceptance.

Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The breast cancer survivors experienced a middle level of disability acceptance. The disability acceptance is an important factor in psychosocial adaptation to cancer. Healthcare staff should pay special attention of the low scores of disability acceptance and explore the effective psychological intervention to reduce the posttraumatic stress response, encourage to take coping mode of confrontation, improve the patients' disability acceptance and return to society as soon as possible.

KEY WORDS: acceptance of disability, breast cancer, psychophysical rehabilitation.

https://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=30260818