Psychological effects of a cosmetic education programme in patients with breast cancer

Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2015 Jul;24(4):493-502. doi: 10.1111/ecc.12290. Epub 2015 Feb 4.

Abstract

Treatments for breast cancer often include interventions related to psychosocial issues such as negative body image, loss of femininity, and low self-esteem. We identified the psychological effects of a cosmetics education programme in patients with breast cancer. Cosmetic programme is a specific care designed to help patients handle appearance-related side effects. Thirty-one women with breast cancer at a university hospital in South Korea who received a cosmetics education programme were compared with 29 subjects in a control group who received the treatment as usual. Psychological factors including distress, self-esteem, and sexual functioning were assessed three times (before and after the programme, and at the 1-month follow-up). After the programme, patients in the treatment group were significantly less likely than those in the control group to rely on distress (P = 0.038) and avoidance coping (P < 0.001) but not on self-esteem. The mean scores in the treatment group for sexual functioning were higher than those in the control group after the treatment. Our results suggest the potential usefulness of a brief cosmetics education programme for reducing distress and reliance on negative coping strategies. Implementing a cosmetics programme for patients with breast cancer may encourage patients to control negative psychological factors.

Keywords: avoidance; breast cancer; cosmetics education programme; distress.

Publication types

  • Controlled Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adult
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Anxiety / etiology
  • Anxiety / therapy
  • Body Image / psychology
  • Breast Neoplasms / psychology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / surgery
  • Cosmetics / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mastectomy / psychology*
  • Patient Education as Topic / methods*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Republic of Korea
  • Self Efficacy
  • Stress, Psychological / etiology
  • Stress, Psychological / therapy

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Cosmetics

Associated data

  • GENBANK/CD007064