2005 Volume 19 Issue 2 Pages 48-58
Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a psychoeducational nursing intervention program to help patients diagnosed to have breast cancer overcome the crisis, positively face the disease and its treatment, and improve their QOL through their own.
The subjects were those who consented to enrollment in the study among patients aged 65 years or below diagnosed to have breast cancer and scheduled to undergo surgery for the first time. The program consisted of : 1）promoting appropriate understanding of the disease and its treatment, 2）supporting their physical condition, 3）supporting their psychological state, and 4）fulfilling the needs for learning about the disease and treatment. This program was conducted in 4 sessions individually to each patient for about 2 months between 1 week after disclosure of the diagnosis and 1 month after discharge（intervention group ; 20 patients）. Data were also collected from a group to which the program was not conducted（control group ; 20 patients）and the control group firstly were collected data. Each patient was evaluated before, immediately after and 1 month after intervention using the Japanese version of POMS, Japanese version of MAC, and a QOL questionnaire. The data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements in the two groups and by stratification of the subjects according to the disease stage and surgical procedure to evaluate the effect of the program.
The intervention group showed better improvements in the mood state, mental adjustment to cancer, and QOL than the control group until 1 month after intervention, but the differences between the two groups were not significant. In stages Ⅱ-Ⅳ, depression-dejection（p＝0.022）, fighting spirit（p＝0.03）, and hopelessness / helplessness（p＝0.077）were significantly better in the intervention group than in the control group until 1 month after intervention.
The results of this study suggested that the program produces significant improvement in the mood state and mental adjustment to cancer in stages Ⅱ-Ⅳ of patients with breast cancer.
