title: Coping Strategies and Experiences in Women with a Primary Breast Cancer Diagnosis
abstract: Background: Women with breast cancer experience problems in multiple aspects of their lives, but applying effective
  strategies can result in enhancing their quality of life and their psychosocial adaptation to the disease. However, there
  is little information about the strategies that women use to cope with complications associated with their experiences
  following a breast cancer diagnosis. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the experience of coping behavior
  and the main strategies that women use in dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. Methods: This study was conducted
  according to a qualitative phenomenological design to investigate women’s experiences in living with breast cancer and
  the related complications and how they cope with these issues. Purposive sampling was used for recruiting participants
  with breast cancer, and data collection was conducted by semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 patients. The
  transcribed interviews were analyzed using Van Manen’s thematic approach. Results: The age range of the women
  was 32-68. Most were married and received adjuvant therapy (i.e., mastectomy surgery and chemo-radiation). Three
  dominant themes that emerged from the interviews were emotional turmoil, avoidance, and logical efforts. Conclusion:
  The findings highlight the importance of addressing psycho-oncology intervention programs to address the unmet
  pyscho-social and palliative care needs of patients suffering from breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of midwifery and reproductive health, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Email:hajian74@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sepideh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hajian
authors.forename: Esmat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mehrabi
authors.forename: Masoomeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simbar
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Houshyari
keywords: Breast cancer; psychological adjustment; coping behavior; skill