Coping strategies as associated factors for therapeutic adherence in breast cancer patients

Background:The side effects of breast cancer treatment reduce therapeutic adherence, resulting in increased recurrence, progression and mortality, and the way the patient copes may be associated with this adherence.Objective: To determine the association between coping strategies and adherence to the treatment in patients with breast cancer.Method: Association design in women with breast cancer treated in the oncology service with and without therapeutic adherence (n = 40 per group).The Morisky-Green test was applied to evaluate therapeutic adherence and the Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI).The results were analyzed using the Chi-square test, odds ratio (OR), logistic regression analysis, and risk probability analysis for therapeutic non-adherence.results: Adaptive coping strategies were those with the highest strength of association for therapeutic adherence (p < 0.05).These were incorporated into a logistic regression analysis (p < 0.000), and 97% probability of therapeutic non-adherence was obtained in those patients who do not face the disease in an adaptive way.Conclusions: Adaptive coping strategies promote therapeutic adherence to breast cancer.