Effectiveness of Psycho-educational Nursing Program on Emotional Distress and Mental Adjustment in Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background: Emotional distress in Breast cancer patients may interfere with the ability to cope effectively with breast cancer, its physical symptoms and its treatment. This in turn causes significant increase in psychiatric morbidity leading to poor adjustment in the patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the psycho-educational program on emotional distress and mental adjustment among women with Breast Cancer. A quasi-experimental design (one group preposttest) was used to achieve the aim of the study. A convenient sample of 50 adult women diagnosed with breast cancer. This study was conducted at the outpatient department of the clinical oncology center at the Nasser Institute Hospital. Data were collected by using three tools: structured interview questionnaire sheet, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC). Results: The result revealed that there was reduction in the mean score of anxiety and depression of the studied subjects post program than before with highly statistically significant differences. There was also a statistically significant increase in the total mean scores of all mental adjustment subscales among the studied women after participation in the psycho-educational program than before. Conclusion: The psycho-educational intervention program was the key element in reducing emotional distress and improving mental adjustment for women with breast cancer. The study recommended generalization of psycho-educational intervention programs for all patients with breast cancer.