Abstract
Background Women having undergone mastectomy due to breast cancer have experiences which are very much individual and contextual. In order to facilitate efforts to understand the women and improve their quality of life, the aim of this study was to investigate body image, life satisfaction and associated factors among Swedish women with breast cancer after mastectomy.Methods After mastectomy, four hundred and eighty-one Swedish women with breast cancer were enrolled in a descriptive cross-sectional study. Each participant completed a questionnaire comprising socio-demographic characteristics, sources of information, body image and life satisfaction. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to estimate relationships between socio-demographic characteristics, information support, sources of information, treatment variables, and outcome variables such as body image and life satisfaction.Results Body image was associated with all dimensions of life satisfaction. Lower age, underlying disease, chemotherapy and breast reconstruction increased body image dissatisfaction, while treatment options were factors associated with life satisfaction. Sources of information was a factor that increased life satisfaction in the dimensions of physical symptoms, sickness impact and quality of close friend relationship.Conclusion The findings highlight that some socio-demographic characteristics, treatment options and sources of information were associated with body image dissatisfaction and life dissatisfaction among the women with breast cancer after mastectomy. This can increase healthcare professionals’ understanding of women with breast cancer after treatment. They should provide effective information, focus attention on the women’s needs, and prepare intervention programs that make the women cope with their life situations during follow-up care.
Body Image, Life Satisfaction and Associated Factors Among Swedish Women with Breast Cancer After Mastectomy
