Effects of Emotional Support-Focused Nursing Interventions on the Psychosocial Adjustment of Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

The purpose was to examine the effect of emotional support-focused nursing interventions on the psychosocialadjustment of breast cancer patients. The research was conducted in the Radiation Oncology Department ofEge University Medical Faculty Hospital and at Tülay Aktas Oncology Hospital in Turkey. There were 30 newlydiagnosed breast cancer patients included in the sample. Emotional support-focused nursing interventions wereadministered in seven sessions individually with each patient. A total of 210 hours of meetings with the patientswere conducted. Data were collected by administering a pre-test and post-test in two phases with the patientsusing a Descriptive Information Form and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale - Self Report (PAISSR).The patients mean age was 44.5 (SD=6.38) years and the mean duration of illness was 6.46 (SD=1.99)months. In the comparison of the PAIS-SR pretest and post-test mean scores it was determined that there was asignificant increase in patients adaptation to health care orientation (p=0.001), domestic environment (p<0.01),sexual relationships (p<0.05), extended family relationships (p<.001) and social environment (p<0.001), and asignificant decrease in psychological distress (p<0.001). However there was no change in patients vocationaladjustment (p>.05). According to these findings emotional support-focused nursing interventions had a part inincreasing patients psychosocial adjustment.