To clarify the effects of body image changes on the thoughts and behavior of juvenile female breast cancer patients, who were under 35 years old, during postoperative endocrine therapy, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven these patients undergoing postoperative endocrine therapy, and analyzed the data qualitatively and descriptively.
The patients were forced to experience pessimistic feelings that arose in themselves, such as “the gap between the world of healthy women of the same age versus their own world,” by changing in their body image during the treatment, and they were tormented by their “senses of inferiority that their appearance had deteriorated and they were the only ones that aged among their peers.” The patients also felt “physical inconvenience and anxiety caused by intentionally stopping menstruation,” “differences with women of the same age and those undergoing menopausal after they realized stopping menstruation” at a young age, and “confusion about being unable to regain theirsex life.” Eventually, the patients remained struggling with the “thoughts of pregnancy that they could not give up despite prioritizing treatment.”
Despite the circumstances, the patients “reaffirmed that they are women,” faced womanhood again, and continued to uphold their desire to remain womanly. The patients also made efforts to accept and adapt to their current situation, such as by “viewing positively and accepting their current situation of not having menstruation” and “making efforts to improve their relationship with their partners and sex life.”
Inconclusion, this research suggested the need for support for such thinking and actions toward adaptation, as well as support that also takes into account age characteristics, developmental issues, and developmental crises, and that captures the information needs of young individuals.
雑誌名
福井大学医学部研究雑誌
雑誌名(英)
Journal of Interdisciplinary Research of the School of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui
術後内分泌療法中のボディイメージの変化が女性若年性乳がん患者の思考や 行動に及ぼす影響
BD10126486.pdf
(712.06KB)
