Determination of mental well-being and self-care behaviors in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Objective: This research was conducted descriptively with the aim of determining mental well-being and self-care behaviors in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Method: The study was conducted between September 2023 and May 2025 with 370 individuals diagnosed with cancer who were receiving chemotherapy treatment at the Akdeniz University Hospital, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Samur Medical Oncology Chemotherapy Unit. Data were collected face-to-face using the Personal Information Form, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, and the Self-Care Behaviors Scale. For the statistical analysis of the data, the SAS 9.4 software package was used. The data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, t-test, Chi-square test, regression analysis, and one-way ANOVA. Results: It was determined that 55.1% of the individuals participating in the study were women, 63.5% had completed primary education, 83.2% were married, 23.5% of them had lung cancer and the mean age was 58.9±12.40. The mean score for Mental Well-Being was 45.11±6.19, and the mean score for Self-Care Behaviors was 71.16±9.78, indicating that both mental well-being and self-care behavior levels were at a moderate level. A moderately positive and significant relationship was found between mental well-being and self-care behaviors. It was also determined that factors such as education level, economic status, presence of comorbidities, and care needs had an effect on the level of mental well-being. Similarly, variables such as age, gender, education level, economic status, presence of comorbidities, duration of illness, and number of chemotherapy cycles were found to influence the level of self-care behaviors. Conclusion: It was concluded that cancer patients receiving chemotherapy had a moderate level of mental well-being and self-care behaviors, and a positive relationship was found between mental well-being and self-care behaviors. It is recommended to plan nursing interventions aimed at determining and improving the levels of mental well-being and self-care behaviors, and to increase studies in this area. Keywords: Cancer, Nursing, Mental Well-Being, Self-Care Behaviors