Abstract

This study investigated the influences of the degree of breast damage, sex-role identity on the breast cancer patients' body change stress and their psycho-social adjustment. The relative importance of the variables(i.e., the degree of breast damage, masculinity & femininity, and body change stress) to the breast cancer patients' psycho-social adjustment is also investigated. Total of 204 breast cancer patients who had completed their primary cancer treatments participated in this study. The study concludes that breast cancer patients' body change stress is influenced by the degree of breast damage itself. In contrast, their psycho-social adjustment are influenced by an individual's sex-role identity rather than the degree of breast damage itself. In addition, body change stress was the most important predictor for all the aspects of psycho-social adjustment studied. Masculinity was a relatively important predictor for depression and social functioning/relationship adjustment. People with high masculinity showed low in the level of depression and high in social functioning/relationship. High femininity has a beneficial effect on the sex life adjustment of breast cancer patients. (Korean J Str Res 2008;16:39∼49)

• Keywords: Breast cancer, Degree of breast damage, Sex-role identity, Body change stress, Psycho-social adjustment;