Mastery of stress in women with breast cancer: A longitudinal study

• Main Author: Triest-Robertson, Shirley A
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2003
• Subjects: Breast cancer; Clinical psychology; Nursing; Oncology; Psychotherapy; Stress; Women
• ISBN: 9780496503995; 0496503995

This longitudinal research examined the mastery of stress in women with Stage, I, II, and III breast cancer at the time of diagnosis (Time 1), at the beginning of adjuvant treatment (Time 2), and at the end of adjuvant treatment (Time 3). It also determined relationships among biodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables and mastery of stress in women who have received adjuvant treatment for Stage I, II, and III breast cancer. Women completed a Mastery of Stress Instrument (MSI), Visual Analogue Scale-Stress (VAS-S), a measure of optimism, and a demographic questionnaire at Time 1, 2, and 3, as well as having their medical chart reviewed. The women were recruited from a Midwest community hospital and medical clinics in the same geographic area, using a convenience sample. MSI subscales measured the dependent construct of mastery. The MSI had four subscales including Certainty, Acceptance, Change, and Growth and another subscale of Stress. The VAS-S also measured stress. These instruments were used to collect data on 37 women meeting the study criteria. The highest scores for Stress and the lowest scores for Mastery, Certainty, Acceptance, Change, and Growth occurred at the time of diagnosis. There was consistent and significant improvement in scores from diagnosis to the end of adjuvant treatment. Significant changes in the magnitude and direction of all MSI subscales occurred between Time 1 and Time 3, with no significant findings between Time 2 and 3. Subscales of growth, certainty, and acceptance lacked significant findings between Time 1 and 2. Independent variables associated with changes in MSI subscale scores included optimism, family history of breast cancer, type of surgery, interactive association of age and menopausal status, number of children, time in days from diagnosis to the end of treatment, income, marital status, how the lump was discovered, stage, size of tumor, and number of positive nodes. Estrogen receptor status did not account for any variance in the subscales of the Mastery of Stress Instrument. Knowledge generated from this study can guide clinicians in creating specific interventions to help women facing breast cancer master their stress. Implications for further research are specified.