Abstract

The purpose of this study is two-folds: One is to investigate how the factors of socio-demographic, disease related, and the self-esteem of the survivors of breast cancer patients with mastectomy treatment were related to their perceptions of body change stress and the selected areas of psycho-social adjustment (i.e., depression, social function/relationship, and sex life). The other is to investigate if the patients' self-esteem either moderates or mediates between their perceived body change stress and psycho-social adjustment. Total of 95 breast cancer patients received mastectomy treatment participated in this study. Results of the study are following: First, patients' self-esteem was more closely related to the level of body change stress as well as psycho-social adjustment than their socio-demographic and disease related factors. Second, significant moderating effects of self-esteem in the relations were found between body change stress and each of the three areas of psycho-social adjustments studied in this study. It indicates that high self-esteem may buffer the negative effect of body change stress whereas low self-esteem worsens it. Finally, self-esteem showed significant (partial) mediating effects in both of relations between body change stress and depression as well as social function/relationship. However, mediating effect of self-esteem in the relation between body change stress and sex life adjustment was not significant. The results found this study suggest that for the better understanding and help toward the survivors of breast cancer more internal variables and their executive functioning need to be investigated in future research. (Korean J Str Res 2009;17:121∼130)

• Keywords: Breast cancer patient, Mastectomy, Self-esteem, Body change stress, Psycho-social adjustment, Moderating effect, Mediating effect;