Objective: The aim of study was to determine factors affecting the medical healthcare-seeking behaviours of female patients according to their stage of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was carried out with 150 women. The data were collected by a survey form, the Body Perception Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale.
Results: About 54% of the women were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, 68.7% had high self-esteem, and 80% had positive body perceptions, while their social appearance anxiety levels were moderate. The patients with breast cancer at the 4th stage had a high body perception score of 174.00 ± 23.34. Self-esteem was the highest in the patients with stage 2B breast cancer with a value of 0.61 ± 0.91. The highest social anxiety mean score was found in the patients with stage 2A breast cancer as 31.65 ± 12.50. There was no statistically significant difference in the women's sociodemographic characteristics, health and breast cancer history, self-esteem, body perception and social appearance anxiety based on their stages of cancer (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Nurses' identification of risky individuals in early diagnosis, information for the individual / family and society by planning trainings and raising awareness will contribute positively to the patients' medical health-seeking behaviours.
Keywords: body perception; breast cancer; cancer staging; self-esteem; social anxiety.
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.