Young women with breast cancer: Supportive care needs and resilience Mujeres jóvenes con cáncer de mama: Necesidades de apoyo en atención y resiliencia Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • © 2018, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. All rights reserved.Background: Women with breast cancer (BC) under 40 years of age have unique and important bio-psycho-social characteristics that should be assessed. Objective: To evaluate: a) the unmet supportive care needs (SCN) perception and the level of resilience, b) the difference in SCN between patients in active treatment and survivors, c) the relationship between SCN and resilience, in addition to its relationship with clinical, and sociodemographic variables, respectively. Method: The unmet SCN and the level of resilience were cross-sectionally assessed in 150 young women with BC. Results: Participants had a median age of 36 years. The highest unmet needs were related to the healthcare system and information needs. The most unmet needs were reported by the group undergoing treatment compared to those in surveillance (p=.005). We found a significant and negative relationship between unmet SCN (global, psychological, care and support, and information) and resilience domains (P <.005), in both groups and separately. Conclusions: The perception of low unmet needs could be caused by external conditions (such as infrastructure, health services provided and social security support), abilities¿ perception (such as self-confidence, structure and organization) and/or support resources perceived (social and family). These results highlight the clinical relevance to address interventions based on resilience.

publication date

  • January 1, 2018