QUALITY OF LIFE AND ITS INFLUENCING FACTORS IN TAIWANES WOEMN NEWLY DIAGNOSED WITH EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER
Wang, Ya-Jung, PhD., Assistant professor, School of Nursing, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Hsiao-Fang Hu, MSN, NP, Department of Hema / Oncology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
AIMS: The purpose of this analysis was to explore the quality of life and its influencing factors in Taiwanese women with early stage breast cancer undergoing surgery.
METHODS: This was s descriptive, correlational research study with cross-sectional design. The quality of life was measured by Functional Assessment of Cancer
Treatment- General with sound psychometric property.
RESULTS: A total of 143 women with a mean age of 48.7 years from two medical centers participated in the study. Women’s quality of life was significantly correlated with their exercise behavior (r= 0.213, P=0.011), exercise self-efficacy (r= 0.281, P=0.001), sleep disturbances (r=- 0.372, P<0.011), degree of fatigue (r= 0.486, P=0.001), and exercise time before cancer diagnosis (r= 0.180, P=0.031). Multiple linear regression model (F=11.602, P<0.001) indicated that women’s education (β=0.167, t=2.212, P=0.029), degree of fatigue (β=0.428, t= 5.756, P<0.001), and level of sleep disturbances (β=-0.297, t= -4.043, P<0.001) were able to significantly predicted the quality of life; accounting for 37.6% of variance.
CONCLUSIONS: Women with newly diagnosed breast cancer experience fatigue and sleep disturbances that decline their quality of life. Especially, for those women with college education or higher seems to be worse compared to those with high school or lower.
