Situations connected with perceived loss of femininity: menopause and mastectomy – changes in perceiving oneself as a woman

Mącik, Dorota; Ziółkowska, Patrycja

doi:10.5114/pm.2012.32537

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…According to Chwałczyńska et al, most women after breast amputation do not accept the changed image of their bodies. This opinion has been confirmed in the author's own studies and in research conducted by other authors [15,29,30]. More than half of the respondents did not fully accept their current looks, and several women could not accept the present condition of their bodies at all.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Health factors among women after mastectomy

Pacian¹,

Kulik²,

Skórzyńska³

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryIntroduction: The need for pro-health behaviour emerges most frequently in situations of a life change, a disease or an increased risk of falling ill. Cancer usually leads to abandonment or limitation of the life activity pursued so far. Pro-health behaviour is one of the necessary conditions of returning to fitness. Poland belongs to a group of countries with an average incidence of breast cancer, but the awareness level of disease prevention is still insufficient. Mastectomy is a strenuous treatment for a woman, both physically and psychologically, and the new situation demands change in the previous way of life.Aim of the study: The main objective of the paper was to evaluate health factors among women after mastectomy.Material and methods: The researched material was collected using standardized research tools: Health Behaviour Inventory and List of Health Criteria. The research was conducted among 104 women after radical treatment of breast cancer.Results: The dominant type of health behaviour was preventive behaviour (M = 3.72), while correct dietary habits were the least valued (M = 3.01). Differences were pointed out in valuing health by the respondents, depending on the examined demographic features.Conclusions: The general health behaviour was at a level above the average (M = 86.09). A relation of demographic features to preferred health behaviour was observed, according to the education level (r s = -0.22) and duration of the disease (r s = 0.24). The respondents put the highest value on health understood as a condition (M = 1.36) and not as an effect of conscious actions, and identified it with the ability to enjoy life.Key words: mastectomy, health behaviours, health determinants, lifestyle, women. StreszczenieWstęp: Potrzeba zachowań prozdrowotnych pojawia się najczęściej w sytuacjach zmiany życiowej, choroby lub zwiększonego ryzyka zachorowania. Choroba nowotworowa powoduje zwykle zaniechanie bądź ograniczenie dotychczasowej aktywności życiowej. Zachowania prozdrowotne są jednym z niezbędnych warunków powrotu do sprawności. Polska należy do grupy krajów o średniej zapadalności na nowotwór piersi, jednak poziom świadomo-ści profilaktyki w tym zakresie wciąż jest niedostateczny. Mastektomia jest zabiegiem obciążającym dla kobiety zarówno somatycznie, jak i psychicznie, a nowa sytuacja wymusza zmianę dotychczasowego trybu życia.Cel pracy: Ocena uwarunkowań zdrowia wśród kobiet po mastektomii. Materiał i metody: Materiał badawczy zebrano, wykorzystując narzędzia standaryzowane: Inwentarz zachowań zdrowotnych oraz Listę kryteriów zdrowia. Badania przeprowadzone zostały wśród 104 kobiet po radykalnym leczeniu raka piersi.Wyniki: Dominującym rodzajem zachowań zdrowotnych były zachowania profilaktyczne (M = 3,72), zaś najniżej ocenianym: prawidłowe nawyki żywieniowe (M = 3,01). Wykazano istnienie różnic w wartościowaniu zdrowia przez respondentki w zależności od badanych cech demograficznych.Wnioski: Respondentki osiągnęły ogólny wynik zachowań zdrowotnych na poziomie ponadprzeciętnym (M = 86,09)....

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Health factors among women after mastectomy

Pacian¹,

Kulik²,

Skórzyńska³

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Obtaining this consent should be a multi-step process, consisting of the opinions of a surgical oncologist, plastic surgeon, psychologist and, if necessary, other specialists [8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sources confirming this information are studies that look at women after [8]. The question: is it possible in Poland (and where) to perform tests that will exclude or confirm the risk of breast cancer, gained only 49% of correct answers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilateral preventive mastectomy as a preventive method of breast cancer in the opinion of women

Olejniczak-Nowakowska,

Trocha,

Krupa-Kotara

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Despite of the progress of medicine and develop of treatment, it is still the second couse of death among women. To reduce the risk of getting breast cancer, the more ofen teratement is "preventive mastectomies" which completely remove the breast gland by healty women that are in the "high risk" group. Material and Methods To conduct the research I develop a survey, written by my own. The study included 252 women from Poland over the age of 18. Results The opinion about the performance of preventive mastectomies in case of women in "high risk" was very diverse. Only 13% of interviewees were convinced that they would have the surgery and up to 29% could not give an answer. Most woman (86%) are convinced that breast cancer is genetically determined. That mastectomy can be a way to prevent breast cancer agrees 69% of respondents. More than half of respondents (52%) don't know if such surgery is in Poland available. Only half of the respondents could indicate the place where an examination of an increased risk of breast cancer can be made (49%). 81% of respondents examine there breasts at least with one method, and 19% did not check it at all. Conclusions The knowledge about the heredity of cancer and the availability of treatments is insufficient. Women are not convinced that they would have gone to radical preventive treatment, and they are afraid of many consequences connected with it. It is essential to educate the public including the medical stuff in this scope. It is also important that the patient together with his doctor examined all the possible options for limiting the risk of cancer.

show abstract

Loss of attributes of femininity, anxiety and value crisis. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared to women after mastectomy and in menopause

Mącik

2016

Health Psychology Report

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a relatively widespread disease and a main cause of fertility problems. The disease diagnosis is frequently related to changes in the value hierarchy. However, it can be treated as a “loss of/threat to” femininity. Similar aspects of the loss of part of femininity are connected with menopause and mastectomy. Participants and procedure One hundred and forty-five women were examined in total: 42 with the PCOS diagnosis, 20 after mastectomy, 42 in menopause and 41 healthy women (reference group). Standard measurement methods were used: the Value Crisis Questionnaire by P. Oleś and the IPAT Anxiety Scale – Self Analysis Form by R. B. Cattell. Results Women suffering from PCOS obtained significantly higher indexes of both crisis and anxiety compared to other groups, whereas women after mastectomy and in menopause did not differ between one another in tested variables, and they did not differ from healthy women either. It was noted that the most relationships between variables were observed in the group of women in menopause (significant correlations between almost all dimensions), while there are few relationships in women after mastectomy. In women with PCOS (a relatively small number of correlations) relationships of the greatest strength relate to the relationships of negative self-esteem and guilt proneness with all dimensions of the value crisis. Conclusions Polycystic ovary syndrome, despite having a relatively non-threatening course, is experienced much more strongly by women compared to mastectomy and menopause. It is associated with strong internal anxiety and degradation of the value hierarchy.

show abstract

Situations connected with perceived loss of femininity: menopause and mastectomy – changes in perceiving oneself as a woman

Cited by 4 publications

References 9 publications

Health factors among women after mastectomy

Health factors among women after mastectomy

Bilateral preventive mastectomy as a preventive method of breast cancer in the opinion of women

Loss of attributes of femininity, anxiety and value crisis. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared to women after mastectomy and in menopause

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About