ABSTRACT Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer that affects women in Sweden and in the world. The primary treatment is surgery, so called mastectomy. These big changes in the life situation creates suffering for the patient because the existence is being threatened, violated or reprobated. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe how mental wellness, body image and self-esteem as well as sexuality and relationships effects of undergoing mastectomy. Method: A descriptive literature study of qualitative articles with a qualitative approach. Results: Women who have undergone a mastectomy go through many different conditions and emotions that will affect their mental health in the short term but also in the long term. Depending on one's condition and where one has come in life, mental health is affected in different ways. The breast is someone that women described as femininity, beauty and motherhood. The loss of the breast meant the loss of being a complete woman, these negatively affect the women's mental wellness, body image and self-esteem as well as sexuality and relationships, which has led to a life of mental illness. Conclusion: Women who have undergone mastectomy experience an affected mental wellness, body image and self-esteem as well as sexuality and relationships. It is mainly the woman's mental well-being that is negatively affected, but as time passes after the operation, an improvement takes place. Characteristic of the study was how the women experienced feelings of fear and anxiety and that their close relationships with partners and relatives were also negatively affected.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-468088 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Rahmatkhan, Alina, D´Argy, Joel |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för folkhälso- och vårdvetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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