Abstract

The purpose of this study is two-folds. One is to investigate if the individual's psychological resilience and the degree of breast damage interactively influence on the breast cancer patients' body change stress, depression, and social adjustment. The other is to study if psychological resilience of the survivors of breast cancer moderates among the variables of their body change stress, depression, and social adjustment. Total of 190 breast cancer patients (95 full resection & 95 partial resection) who had completed their primary cancer treatments participated in this study. Results of the study are following: First, psychological resilience and the degree of breast damage of the survivors of breast cancer were interactively influence on their depression and social adjustment, but not on their body change stress. Second, the moderating effects of psychological resilience on the influential relationship between body change stress and social adjustment, but not on that between body change stress and depression was significant in both groups of full and partial resection. Third, the moderating effect of psychological resilience on the influential relationship between depression and social adjustment were significant only in the full resection group. (Korean J Str Res 2011;19:165∼174)

• Keywords: Survivors of breast cancer, Psychological resilience, Body change stress, Adjustment, Moderating effect