Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.24141/1/5/1/6
Psychosocial Aspects of Young Women Affected with Breast Cancer
Anita Džombić
orcid.org/0000-0002-8271-9697
; Center for Social Welfare Ivanić-Grad, Ivanić-Grad, Croatia
Abstract
Psychosocial aspects of breast cancer are found in young women within their specific developmental stages. Breast cancer in young women, in contrast to older women, is primarily related to the challenges in their careers, relationships, families, child care, reproductive health, sexuality, as well as to their own body image. Although a single definition of such population in psychooncological literature is missing, the women in question are in the fertile, premenopausal stages of their lives, and are in the age range of up to 50 years of age. Contemporary empirical knowledge has been indicating that they are perceived as “too young to take on the role of cancer patients”, they have greater difficulties in psychosocial adjustment to their illness and overall experience lower quality of life. They have a need for comprehensive information support in due time, while the discussion about their reproductive health, prenatal education and sexuality is of crucial importance at the very beginning of their treatment. These women would like to emphasize that there is an inadequate number of support programs targeted at this population and they clearly demonstrate readiness to participate in peer support networks. In accordance with the aforementioned, this paper seeks to show the specificities of psychosocial needs and issues these young women have due to their illness.
Keywords
breast cancer; psychosocial aspects; young women
Hrčak ID:
217996
URI
Publication date:
18.3.2019.
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