Research title:
The Development of Posttraumatic Growth in Women with Breast Cancer
Abstract:
The primary aim of this study was to understand what might influence the development of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) in female breast cancer survivors. A quantitative survey method was utilized and included the following validated measures: Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Benefit Finding Scale, and Brief COPE. One-way ANOVAs and bivariate correlations were conducted during data analysis to compare groups of participants and to explore relationships between participants' distress levels and stage of breast cancer at diagnosis; PTG and benefit finding; PTG and distress; and PTG and coping strategies.
The final sample was composed of 107 women whose age averaged 50 years old or more. A major finding from the current study was that amount of time passed since receiving a most recent breast cancer diagnosis had no significant impact on participants' scores on either benefit finding or Posttraumatic Growth. Another major finding confirmed that participants who were diagnosed with later stage breast cancer experienced greater levels of distress at diagnosis, and that the more distress the women experienced at diagnosis, the more Posttraumatic Growth they developed. A third major finding was the more women reported being affected by money concerns during their breast cancer experiences, the more overall Posttraumatic Growth they developed.
There were two minor findings. While the impact of age, income, and education on benefit finding and Posttraumatic Growth has produced mixed outcomes in the literature, participants' age and education levels in the current study were unrelated to Posttraumatic Growth scores. Additionally, participants who had greater amounts of Posttraumatic Growth reported using more active coping, emotional support, instrumental support, positive reframing, and religion as coping strategies. These positive coping strategies were related to Posttraumatic Growth but were unrelated to benefit finding.
Copyright ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing 2014