Body Image, Relationships, And Hope Among Cancer Patients

Abstract

Evidence suggests that breast cancer can have a very significant impact on body image in females. Various issues regarding breast cancer and its treatment are faced by patients across the globe which includes poor body image, strained relationships, physical symptoms, psychological distress, etc. However, there are fewer high-quality reviews that study and examine body image, interpersonal relationship, and hope among cancer patients from a global perspective. Therefore, to summarize the evidence of relation of these exposures to breast cancer in females, this systematic review was conducted. A database search on studies published between 2013 and 2023 led to the inclusion of n=26 studies. Prisma chart was implemented in the methodology of this systematic review. Body image dissatisfaction, psychological issues (depression, anxiety, stress), poor interpersonal relationships, hopelessness, etc. were commonly observed in patients suffering from breast cancer globally and the variations expressed in their negative or positive associations were seen with each other. This systematic review thus attempts to give a relation between body image, interpersonal relationships, and hope among cancer patients. It will enable researchers, scholars, and professionals to understand, view, or approach breast cancer from a psychological perspective and formulate interventions focusing on the exposures taken for this review.