Assessment of Psychological Well-Being and Associated Factors Among Breast Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background: Pakistan's high breast cancer incidence is due to financial constraints, leading to delayed diagnoses and treatment. This study assesses psychological well-being and associated factors in Pakistan. Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was used from April to July 2023 in the two tertiary care hospitals in Khyber Pukhtankhwa, Pakistan, with a sample size of 132 and purposive sampling technique. Three valid and reliable questionnaires were used for data collection, i.e. the major depressive inventory for depression, and the perceived stress inventory for stress. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the chi-square test. Results: The overall level of Depression among the participants were (94.6%) high Depression, followed by moderate depression level (5.4%). There were significant difference the groups of age (p-0.002), and marital status (p-0.000), and education (p-0.005) while there were no significant difference between the groups of employment status (p-0.441) and co-morbid (p-0.471). The overall stress level were having moderate stress n-79 (60.8%), and the remain patients were having severe stress n-51 (39.2%). There were significant difference between the groups of age groups (p-0.004), education (p-0.000), and co-morbid (p-0.042), while no difference between the group of marital status (p-0.289), and employment status (p-509). Conclusion: Breast cancer patients experience moderate to severe anxiety, with high prevalence in the 20-30 age group, married, primary educated, housewife, and without comorbidity, and high to moderate stress levels with high prevalence among 31-40 years, married status, primary education, housewife and having no co-morbid were having high to moderate level of stress.