Abstract

CAMARGO, Maria Jeane et al. Women diagnosed with breast cancer: impact of post-traumatic growth. Mudanças [online]. 2020, vol.28, n.1, pp. 17-26. ISSN 0104-3269.

Cancer is possibly the most feared disease today. Due to its chronic nature, it requires adjustments in multiple domains in the patient's life, with evidence indicating that physical, emotional, cognitive, interpersonal and behavioral factors are interrelated and contribute to the adjustment of each individual. The prospect of overcoming a challenging experience like cancer can result in the development of what some authors call post-traumatic growth. The objective was to identify factors related to post-traumatic growth from the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Thirty women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing treatment at the Base Hospital participated in this study. For the data collection process, a sociodemographic questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Herth's Hope Scale, Social Support Scale, Mental Adjustment Scale for cancer and Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory were used. As a result, it was found that variables such as age, having a partner, longer diagnosis time, hope, lower indicators of depression, higher level of education and religion are factors that contribute to the development of post-traumatic growth. These results point to the importance of identifying these variables in the psychosocial profile of cancer patients, and mainly to the need to develop interventions that can promote the maintenance and development of protective factors in the face of treatment stressors.

Keywords : Breast Neoplasms; Post-Traumatic Growth; Mental Health.

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