The Stress Coping Model in Women with Breast Cancer in Taiwan: An Exploratory Research

Reviewing research articles of bresat cancer, stress, and coping, this study purposed to construct a theoretical model specifying the stress-coping process of women with breast cancer. The model (SCMBC) proposed three assumptions: first, stressors encountered by women with breast cancer could be categorized into “acute stressors induced by medical procedures and those developed along with disease progression”, “chornic stressors induced by medical procedures and those developed along with disease progression”, “subjective anticipatory stressors that related to oncoming medical procedures and possible disease progression”, “other life stressors”, and “negative emotional status”. Second, women of breast cancer would cope these stressors with different strategies, including “problem-focused coping strategies”, ”emotional-focused strategies”, “avoidance strategies”, and “support seeking coping strategies”. Third, SCMBC could display relationships between stressors and coping actions arranged in a time sequence to reveal the characteristics of individual stress-coping style. Five women, diagnosed with stage-II breast cancer, were interviewed with semi-structured focusing interview method. They freely report their subjetive stress-coping experiences related to medical procedures and those developed along with disease progression. The results display clearly the interviewees’ subjective experiences, including stressor categories, coping strategies adopted, the persistent interactive process between stresss and coping, the individual’s specific stress-coping style, and the proactive coping in advance to prevent potentially stressful event before it occurs. It was found that SEMBC was suitable for case study of breast cancer women, especially for the understanding of how breast cancer women cope their stressors effectively.