Impact of Psycho-educational Program on Body Image Concerns and Mental Adjustment among Post Mastectomy Women

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is a significant health problem worldwide, and a complex disease physically and psychologically. In many cases of cancer breast, mastectomy is a necessary treatment. Mastectomy is not an easy decision for any woman as it leads to changes in her everyday life and has significantly negative influence on those women body image. Consequently, women quality of life is affected with reference to social, mental and physical dimensions. Aim: This study aimed to assess the impact of applying a psycho-educational program on body image concerns and mental adjustment among post mastectomy women at the Oncology Center- Mansoura University. The design of this study is a quasi-experimental one. Subjects consisted of 44 post mastectomy women from the outpatient clinics of the Oncology Center- Mansoura University. In order to collect the necessary information for the study structured interview sheet was used to collect data. Three instruments were used for data collection: Socio-demographic and Clinical Data Structured Interview Schedule, Hopwood Post-Mastectomy Concerns of Body Image Scale, and the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale. Results: the study revealed that, there was statistical significant difference in scores of body image concerns between pre and post the psycho educational program(P> 0.001), there was a statistically significant differences between the mental adjustment to cancer domains’ mean score before and after the psycho educational program in relation to hopelessness and helplessness, anxious preoccupation, cognitive avoidance fatalism, and fighting spirit (P> 0.001) and there was statistical significant difference in scores of mental adjustment between pre and post the psycho educational program (P?0.001). Conclusion: body image and mental adjustment of post mastectomy women improved significantly after the psycho-educational program. Recommendations: Implementation of the psycho educational program post mastectomy to improve women's use of appropriate coping strategies and to enhance their quality of life and Involvement the families of post mastectomy women in psycho educational programs is necessary to teach them how to support the patients socially and psychologically.