Quality of life among women with breast cancer living in Wuhan, China

Background: Quality of life is an important indicator in patients with breast cancer. Studies here reported that the quality of life in patients with breast cancer is low and many factors contribute to this poor quality of life. Purpose: To examine the relationships among demographic characteristics, optimism, social support, illness related factors, appraisal of illness, coping strategies and the quality of life of Chinese women with breast cancer residing in Wuhan, China. Methods: A convenience sample of 156 Chinese women with breast cancer was recruited from five teaching hospitals in Wuhan, China. Participants completed the Revised Life Orientation Test, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Symptom Distress Scale, the Appraisal of Illness Scale, the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast. Path analysis was used to examine factors influencing quality of life. Results: Significant relationships were found between optimism, symptom distress, social support, appraisal of illness, a give-in coping mode and quality of life. Optimism, social support, symptom distress, lymph node status, appraisal of illness, and a give-in coping mode accounted for 66.6% of the variance in quality of life. Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the importance of helping women reduce symptoms distress, appraise their illness positively, use less negative coping modes, and maintain optimism, maintain good social support, because all of these factors indirectly or directly affect their quality of life.