Directorate General of Planning and Studies, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Oman.
Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2020 Nov;20(4):e360-e367. doi: 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.04.013. Epub 2020 Dec 21.
There is a rising burden of breast cancer (BC) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), and its sociopsychological impact is a quickly growing health concern in this region. Because understanding cancer patients' perceptions of life is integral to their treatment, they are also a concern for healthcare providers. This qualitative study, therefore, explored changes in Omani women's perceptions of life after a BC diagnosis.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted individually with 21 Omani women undergoing treatment for BC at the Oncology Ward of Muscat's Royal Hospital from March to May 2017. The collected data were subjected to qualitative content analysis.
After their cancer diagnosis, the women appeared to pass through three main stages in their coping processes. First, they passed through a stage of severe psychosocial distress and diminishment in personal identity. Next, they evolved strategies for coping based on cultural, religious and family resources. Finally, the women experienced acceptance and submission to the reality of the cancer as God's will with changes in attitudes and perceptions of the meaning of life.
A BC diagnosis impacts Omani women severely, affecting their lives dramatically. They adopt coping strategies based on cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs. Healthcare providers need to acknowledge and facilitate women's spiritual and cultural coping strategies as an integral part of their treatment which holds potential to improve their prognosis. Such strategies should be individualised to suit each woman's experiences, perceptions and needs.
乳腺癌（BC）在东地中海地区（EMR）的负担日益加重，其社会心理影响是该地区迅速增长的健康关注点。由于了解癌症患者对生活的看法是他们治疗的重要组成部分，因此也引起了医疗保健提供者的关注。因此，这项定性研究探讨了 BC 诊断后阿曼妇女对生活的看法的变化。
2017 年 3 月至 5 月，在马斯喀特皇家医院肿瘤科病房接受 BC 治疗的 21 名阿曼妇女接受了个人半结构化访谈。收集的数据进行了定性内容分析。
癌症诊断后，女性在应对过程中似乎经历了三个主要阶段。首先，她们经历了严重的社会心理困扰和个人身份丧失的阶段。其次，她们根据文化、宗教和家庭资源制定了应对策略。最后，女性接受了癌症是上帝旨意的现实，并改变了对生活意义的态度和看法。
BC 诊断对阿曼妇女的影响严重，对她们的生活产生了重大影响。她们根据文化、宗教和精神信仰采用应对策略。医疗保健提供者需要承认并促进妇女的精神和文化应对策略，作为治疗的一个组成部分，这有可能改善她们的预后。这些策略应该根据每个妇女的个人经历、看法和需求进行个性化。
