Breast cancer prevention: what women think about the illness, its risks and self-care

Authors

  • Carolina Ribeiro Seabra Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
  • Maria Júlia Armiliato Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
  • Luisa Vital Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
  • Paola Otaran Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
  • Ana Carolina Peuker Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
  • Elisa Kern de Castro Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-8623.2018.3.27311

Keywords:

Neoplasms, Self-regulation, Breast cancer, Self-care.

Abstract

Background: Early detection of breast cancer (BC) is important to reduce mortality rates. To prevent BC, women should adopt self-care behaviors. This study aimed at examining risk and illness perception and self-care of healthy women regarding breast cancer. Methods: Participants were 211 women (M = 59.11 years, SD = 8.54) and with no personal history of the illness, selected by convenience. Measures were a sociodemographic, clinical and health behavior questionnaire, illness perception and risk perception questionnaires. Nonparametric statistics (Spearman) was employed to analyze the relationship between illness perception, risk perception and sociodemographic variables. The open answers to the causes of the illness were classified according to the content analysis. Results: We found a relationship between risk and illness perception and self-care in healthy women regarding BC. It was identified that women had reasonable illness coherence (M = 3.18) and considered the illness more timeline chronic than timeline acute (M = 3.22), reasonable timeline cyclical (M = 3.56), with severe consequences for health (M = 4.22), and reasonably threatening (M = 3.15). Conclusions: BC and risk perception and self-care are interrelated variables among healthy women.

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Author Biographies

Carolina Ribeiro Seabra, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

Psicóloga clínica,mestre em Psicologia pela Unisinos

Maria Júlia Armiliato, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

graduanda em Psicologia pela Unisinos, bolsista Pibic/CNPq

Luisa Vital, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

graduanda em Psicologia pela Unisinos, bolsista Unibic/Unisinos

Elisa Kern de Castro, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

Professora e atual coordenadora do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia da Unisinos,bolsista CNPq

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Published

2018-10-16

How to Cite

Ribeiro Seabra, C., Armiliato, M. J., Vital, L., Otaran, P., Peuker, A. C., & de Castro, E. K. (2018). Breast cancer prevention: what women think about the illness, its risks and self-care. Psico, 49(3), 266–273. https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-8623.2018.3.27311

Issue

Vol. 49 No. 3 (2018)

Section

Articles

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