Degree of acceptance of the disease and quality of life in women after mastectomy: a preliminary study

Background: The sudden change of life situation caused by a cancer diagnosis and mastectomy disturbs the psychosomatic balance and the functioning of a woman's previous life and leads to a reduced quality of life. Many women adapt to their new situation, but a very large group cannot adapt and cope with their illness.Aim of the study: Evaluation of disease acceptance and quality of life (QoL) in women after mastectomy.Material and methods: A total of 171 post-mastectomy women were studied. The study was conducted by means of a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire technique. The Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) and the Quality of Life Assessment Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used.Results: The mean disease acceptability was 25.68 7.978. A group of 42.69% (72/171) had moderate disease acceptability, 32.75% (56/171) had high disease acceptability and 20.47% (35/171) had low disease acceptability. 4.09% (8/171) of the women had no acceptance of the disease. The mean value for the perception of QoL was 3.65 0.71. The best values were obtained for QoL in the psychological domain (14.1 3.1) and the worst in the physical domain (13.0; 2.7). Place of residence (p = 0.081) and education level (p = 0.196) did not significantly influence the acceptance of illness. Women living in village areas had a lower quality of life in the environmental domain (p = 0.036) than those living in the city. The absence of complications after mastectomy determined a higher level of QoL in the physical (p < 0.001), psychological (p = 0.029) and environmental (p = 0.010) domains, as well as greater acceptance of the disease (p = 0.001). Disease acceptance was associated with an improvement in the quality of life of women who had undergone a mastectomy, across all domains. Conclusions: It is important to increase interventions to support the adjustment process of women after mastectomy, as acceptance of the disease improves the QoL of these women.