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Stigma Perceived by Women Following Surgery for Breast Cancer

Tripathi, L; Datta, SS; Agrawal, SK; Chatterjee, S; Ahmed, R; (2017) Stigma Perceived by Women Following Surgery for Breast Cancer. Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology , 38 (2) pp. 146-152. 10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_74_16. Green open access

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Abstract

CONTEXT: Women undergoing treatment for breast cancer often have psychological morbidity and body image difficulties. The risk factors for increased levels of stigma in women with breast cancer have not been adequately studied. AIMS: This study aimed at investigating the associations of high levels of stigma in women with breast cancer. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a comprehensive cancer center in India and recruited women (n = 134) undergoing surgical treatment for breast cancer. METHODS: Body image difficulties, including stigma and affective symptoms, were quantified, alongside disease- and treatment-related variables using standardized questionnaires. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Univariate analysis followed by multivariate logistic regression was performed to find the risk factors of high levels of stigma related to body image. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, high levels of stigma were associated with lesser educational attainment (odds ratio [OR] =2.92, confidence interval [CI] 1.25-6.8, P = 0.01), breast conservation surgery (BCS) as opposed to mastectomy (OR = 4.78, CI 2.07-11.03, P < 0.001), having an anxiety disorder (OR = 2.4, CI 1.09-5.33, P = 0.03), and depression (OR = 3.08, CI 1.37-6.89, P < 0.01). On multivariate logistic regression, with stigma as the dependent variable, being less educated (adjusted OR [AOR] 3.08, CI 1.18-8.04, P = 0.02) and opting for BCS (AOR 6.12, CI 2.41-15.5, P < 0.001) were associated with higher stigma. CONCLUSIONS: Women with breast cancer should be screened for distress and stigma. Women opting for BCS may still have unmet emotional needs on completion of surgery and should have access to psychological interventions to address stigma, affective symptoms, and body image problems.

Type: Article
Title: Stigma Perceived by Women Following Surgery for Breast Cancer
Location: India
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_74_16
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_74_16
Language: English
Additional information: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 3.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Keywords: Body image, breast cancer, cancer, depression, oncology, stigma
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Inst of Clinical Trials and Methodology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10072509
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