Physical, psychological and social well-being of women with breast cancer:The influence of disease phase

While research exists on the well-being of women during a specific phase of breast cancer, little research exists in which researchers utilized the sa me instruments to examine differences in women's well-being, based on the p hase of their boast cancer. Using a trajectory framework, the purpose of th is study is to examine the differences in the physical and social well-bein g of women during the following breast cancer states: newly diagnosed, adju vant therapy, stable disease and recurrent disease. The convenience sample consisted of 35 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, 52 women with bre ast cancer undergoing adjuvant therapy, 84 women whose breast cancer was co nsidered stable and 64 women with recurrent breast cancer. Participants com pleted a packet of questionnaires which contained a demographic questionnai re, Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey, a researcher designed (RD) questio nnaire, Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System-Short Form (CARES-SF) and t he Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Descriptive statistics, analysis of varia nce, and general linear F-tests were used to analyze the data. Differences were found across phases of disease on various subscales, including those r epresenting perceived health states, overall impact, medical interactions, physical function, role function, fatigue, pain, social function and satisf action with health. No significant differences were found between groups on the BSI subscales with the exception of somatization, global psychosocial measures, sexual and marital relation subscales. While individuals with rec urrent disease often experienced more difficulties with their well-being th an women in the other groups, women newly diagnosed and in the adjuvant gro up experienced more difficulties in select areas of well-being when compare d with women in the stable group. Health care professionals need to recogni ze differences between groups to better meet the needs of patients with a b reast cancer diagnosis. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.