| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立陽明大學 === 臨床護理研究所 === 104 === Breast cancer survivors are concerned with the recurrence or metastatic of cancer and hence live in anxiety and uncertainty. These long-term stress and anxietry, along with changes in lifestyles and social roles, cause long-term fatigue and decrease their quality of life. Hope provides the drive and capacity for patients to face the future. Previous studies have mostly emphasized caring for patients in various phases of treatment. Whether hope influences survivous’ fatigue remains a topic worthy of investigation.
This study investigated the relationship between social support, hope and fatigue among breast cancer survivors, to find out the determiner of fatigue, and to exame the mediator role of hope. This study applied cross-sectional design; purposive sampling from breast oncology clinic of a northern Taiwan medical center and the breast cancer support groups, and collected data by structured questionnair. The questionnaires included 1) social demographic; 2) Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory Short Form (MFSI-SF); 3) Social Support Scale; and 4) Herth Hope Index (HHI). The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation, multiple and hierarchical regression with using the SPSS 20.0 for Window.
Results were derived from 199 survivors and the average age is 55 years old. The result indicates that (1). Most survivors have lived more than 5 years after treatment. (2). The average score of the HHI was 38.13, and social support was 33.31, and MFSI-SF 9.31 which the highest scores belongs to psychological domain. (3). Economic status and chronic diseases significantly influenced the hope and fatigue levels of patients. (4). Social support positively correlated with hope (r=0.60), and social support negatively correlated with fatigue (r=-0.35). (5). Hope was negatively correlated with fatigue (r=-0.59). (6). The analysis of regression indicates that age, chronic disease, and social support were predictors of hope which explained 43.0% of total variances of hope. (7). The analysis of regression indicates that hope was predictors of fatigue which explained 43.0% of total variances of fatigue. Hope was found to mediate the relationship between social support and fatigue.
The fatigue level of the survivors affected their quality of life. The study has determined that most survivors of breast cancer exhibit moderate levels of fatigue, which demonstrates that fatigue mitigation is a clinical care topic that requires further attention. This study proposed to mitigate patient fatigue by using hope to enhance the effect of social support. This study suggested incorporating patient fatigue as a regular item in outpatient assessment. In addition, case managers should refer survivors to breast cancer support groups, whose subsequent support and care provide highly accessible networks of support and care resources for cancer survivors. Improving the function and convenience of social support can mitigate the perceived discomfort of the survivors, further aiding them in successfully returning to their families and society.
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