Predicting Emotional Disturbance based on Self-empowerment Skills and Interpersonal Interactions in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive variables of emotional distress and their relative importance in patients with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of emotional disturbance variables and their relative importance in patients with breast cancer. Material and Methods: The present research method was fundamental in terms of purpose, descriptive and exploratory in nature, so a high sample size was applied. The sample was among the patients with breast cancer who referred to Shohada Hospital in Tajrish, 736 patients ,19 - to 80 years old people with breast cancer who referred to the hospital during the first 8 months of 2019. Whole samples were selected but screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then the psychological scale of self-empowerment skills, interpersonal interaction quality scale, and emotional turmoil Scale were administered to assess participants. Results: The results showed that self-empowerment skills, quality of interpersonal interactions, age and head of household status showed a significant relationship with emotional turmoil. More precisely, it was found that the variables of the quality of interpersonal interactions and self-empowerment skills have the greatest impact on predicting emotional turmoil, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be said that interpersonal relationships, self-empowerment skills and demographic characteristics of patients with breast cancer play an important role in the emotional distress of patients. Therefore, it is suggested that psychologists pay special attention to these concepts in monitoring the mental state and improving the mental health of patients.

Keywords

• breast neoplasm
• empowerment
• interpersonal relations
• emotional disturbance