The Influence of Marital Intimacy on Mental Health and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors

Korean J Health Promot > Volume 10(4); 2010 > Article

Korean Journal of Health Promotion 2010;10(4):177-184.

일차치료가 종료된 유방암 환자의 부부친밀도에 따른 정신건강과 삶의 질

박진희1, 배선형2, 이은하1

¹아주대학교 간호대학, ²연세대학교 간호대학

The Influence of Marital Intimacy on Mental Health and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Background
This study investigated how marital intimacy affects mental health and quality of life among disease-free breast cancer patients who completed primary treatment. Methods: The descriptive survey design was conducted using a convenient sample including 185 women who had completed primary breast cancer treatment. They completed surveys on marital intimacy, mental health, and quality of life. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance. Results: The high, moderate, and low marital intimacy groups consisted of 33.0%, 41.1%, and 25.9% of the subjects respectively. Differences in mental health and quality of life among the three groups were statistically significant. The high marital intimacy group scored lower in perceived anger (P=0.001), anxiety (P=0.003), confusion (P=0.010), and depression (P<0.001) than the low marital intimacy group. For total quality of life (P<0.001) and social well-being (P<0.001), the high marital intimacy group scored higher than the low marital group. Conclusions: Marital intimacy plays a significant role in enriching mental health and quality of life in breast cancer Korean J Health Promot 2010;10(4):177-184 Keywords: Marital relationship, Mental health, Quality of life, Breast neoplasms, Survivors survivors.