Evaluation of Illness Perception of Women with Breast Cancer in Turkey
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Original Article
P: 98-104
April 2019

Evaluation of Illness Perception of Women with Breast Cancer in Turkey

Eur J Breast Health 2019;15(2):98-104
1. Atatürk University School of Nursing, Erzurum, Turkey
2. Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Health Sciences, Samsun, Turkey
3. İzmir University of Economics School of Health Sciences, İzmir, Turkey
4. Cyprus International University School of Health Sciences, Lefkoşa, Cyprus
5. Eskişehir Osmangazi University School of Health Sciences, Eskişehir, Turkey
6. Sanko University School of Health Sciences, Gaziantep, Turkey
7. Harran University School of Health Sciences, Şanlıurfa, Turkey
8. Akdeniz University School of Nursing, Antalya, Turkey
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 09.08.2018
Accepted Date: 10.12.2018
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ABSTRACT

Objective:

The aim of this study is to examine the illness perceptions of women with breast cancer and possible relationships between these perceptions and descriptive characteristics such as sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in Turkey.

Materials and Methods:

The study was conducted in compliance with correlational, descriptive research principles. Three hundred eighty women with breast cancer who were treated in various hospitals in seven regions of the country were included in the study. A sociodemographic and clinical characteristics form, and The Illness Perception Questionnaire were used for data collection.

Results:

The mean age of the patients with breast cancer was 49.8±11.5, among them, 83.95% were married, 37.37% were at stage 2 breast cancer, and 67.11% experienced mastectomy. It was found that the patients perceived higher personal control over illness (20.88±4.76). The patients perceived most common risk factors as the cause of the illness (19.42±6.38). This study show that variety sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients affected their perceptions of illness.

Conclusion:

The meaning of illness from the perspective of patient with breast cancer should be assessed. The care, education and counselling programs should be planned according to the patient's illness perceptions.

Keywords:
Illness perceptions, breast cancer, women