Women diagnosed with breast cancer tamoxifen users and their coping strategies

Abstract

Mammary neoplasia triggers in women a broad set of cognitive and behavioural responses focused on the developing of coping strategies to deal with internal and external strains. It is a dynamic process that demands responses at each stage of the disease. It is essential that women should develop coping abilities to face the disease's stressful context. The present study aimed to identify coping strategies developed by women diagnosed with breast cancer and tamoxifen users. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study carried out at Santa Rita de Cássia Hospital Ambulatory in Vitória-ES from May to September 2008 with a sample of 270 women. Data collection used the category "Ways of coping with the problem". Coping strategies focused on the disease, the religion, and the social and emotional support. However when the various strategies were compared the "focus on the disease" was the most commonly used (p<0.05). Women that cling to life and long for health presented a healthier attitude towards understanding and accepting the disease and were better able to plan how to cope with the stressor agent