title: [A holistic approach and typology for the health promotion of women with breast cancer].
abstract: The aim of this research is to better understand how women with breast cancer protect themselves against their disease in a holistic approach taking into account cognitive, subjective, biologic and social factors. This approach leads to the development of a typology of feminine protection, typology today absent of the French health system.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The protection concept refers to the salutogenesis theory. It brings together factors which help explain the way women think while going through their cancer and how they try to maintain themselves in good health in such an extreme situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research is based on a mix method. This article discusses the results of the quantitative data analysis with some insights from the qualitative data. Our findings identify three distinctive types of women with regard to the types of protection they put in place (cluster analysis).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The typology demonstrates three types of protection: (1) an ineffective protection characterised by weak SOC and stress, an internal control over the cause of cancer, a medium self-efficacy and the recourse to the protection's instinct; (2) a mixed protection marked by a weak SOC and a strong stress, an internal control over the cause of cancer, a low self-efficacy and a strong difficulty to confront authority; and (3) an effective protection expressed by a strong SOC and a weak stress, an internal control over the course of cancer, a high self-efficacy and the capacity to act in face of danger. In short, in our sample, one woman in two encounter difficulties to protect herself against breast cancer and one woman in four does not manage to do it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The typology offers a clinical framework to help women to maintain their health in face of cancer, allowing health professionals to identify those who have difficulties to protect themselves efficiently.
authors.affiliation: Faculté d'éducation, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. a.duboc@laposte.net
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duboc
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020377:Self Efficacy; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology