Anxiety and depression level of breast cancer patients who completed the first year and their coping attitudes with the disease

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of anxiety and depression symptoms in breast cancer patients who have completed the first year of the disease and differences between the coping methods of those patients. The sample of the research was generated from 94 female volunteers, aged 35-65, who were enrolled to the Balcalı Hospital Oncology Policlinic of Çukurova University Medical Faculty between June 5th and July 31st of the year 2017. Beck Anxiety Scale (BAS), Beck Depression Scale (BDS) and Coping Rating Scale (COPE) were used as data collection tools. 16 % of the patients who participated in the study had symptoms of depression whereas 27,7 % of them had symptoms of anxiety. As a result of the analyzes, a high level positive correlation was determined between depression and anxiety. In addition, a significant difference was found between the depression scores of the participants and the cause variances associated with the disease. Those who accused themselves had higher depression scores than those who believed to have inherited the disease. The group with the average highest score of depression was the ones which had increased post-operative anxiety and fear whereas the group with the average lowest depression score was the ones who were quite satisfied with the operation. A significant difference was found between the anxiety scores and the " having sufficient knowledge about your disease" variable. Anxiety scores of patients, who told "No, my knowledge was not sufficient and I want more information", were higher than the others. Additionally, a significant difference was found between the anxiety scores and the " behavior of your partner after disease " variable. The anxiety scores of those who said "more distant" were higher than others. A significant difference between the attitude of coping and education level was also determined. The average scores of primary graduates were higher than college graduates, regarding the sub-dimension "coping with religion" whereas the average attitude scores of the university graduates were higher than high school graduates, regarding the sub-dimension "Pass-over Disease Lightly-Humor". According to the results of the research; a negative correlation was found between depression and coping attitude subscales. In addition, a positive relationship was obtained between subscales of coping with anxiety and using emotional social support. Finally, It is assessed that the anxiety and depression probability of the patients is high after the diagnosis phase and the risk is decreasing in the first year.