Exploring the Psychoeducational Needs and Strategies for Nurses to Reduce Psychological Distress among Women with Breast Cancer Post Mastectomy

Background: Post-mastectomy breast cancer patients often experience psychological distress, which nurses play a crucial role in addressing. This study aimed to explore nurses' perceptions of the psychoeducational needs of women following mastectomy to reduce psychological distress. Methods: This research uses a qualitative research design with focus group discussions carried out by twenty nurse informants from the Kariadi Hospital in Semarang, Indonesia, recruited through purposive sampling techniques. The Focus Group Discussion (FGD) guide created by the researcher with open questions is employed. FGDs were recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically. Results: The themes that emerged were "psychoeducational goals", with one subtheme (reducing the level of psychological distress); "content of psychoeducational material", with five subthemes (patient adaptation regarding the impact of mastectomy, physical treatment, the impact of negative thoughts, the impact of negative emotions and psychological support); and "psychoeducation format", with six subthemes (form, method, media, tools, duration and frequency). Several strategies are applied to overcome the problem of psychological distress faced by women who have breast cancer after mastectomy. Conclusion: Psychoeducational competency is inherent in nurses because they demonstrate skills in dealing with patients' psychological distress, such as pain management, deep breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, early ambulation, physical mobilisation, range of motion, self-talk, and psychological support. Therefore, hospital managers can implement a program to increase the competence of nurses in dealing with patients' psychological stress by providing psychoeducation so that nursing practice can improve.