Uncertainty, Self-efficacy, and Self-care Behavior in Patients With Breast Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy in China

Treatment for breast cancer causes uncertainty in the face of new and distressing experiences and often results in the need for self-care. Identifying how uncertainty influences self-care behavior is essential to design interventions that enhance self-care capacity and improve patient outcomes.

The aims of this study were to describe the levels of uncertainty, self-efficacy, and self-care behavior in Chinese women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer and to determine if self-efficacy mediates the relationship between uncertainty and self-care behavior.

A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used. Ninety-seven participants completed the Generalized Self-efficacy Scale, the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale, and the Appraisal of Self-care Agency Scale-Revised. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the levels of uncertainty, self-efficacy, and self-care behaviors in the sample. Multiple regression was used to test the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between uncertainty and self-care behavior.

Mean ratings of uncertainty (76.70), self-efficacy (27.15), and self-care behavior (53.96) all fell in the moderate range. Both uncertainty and self-efficacy independently predicted self-care behavior, explaining 18.2% of the variance, but self-efficacy did not mediate the relationship between uncertainty and self-care behavior.

Research is needed to further evaluate the proposed relationships using instruments specific to/related to cancer and evaluate change over time. Self-care interventions that have been efficacious in Western populations could be revised to assist Chinese women to reduce uncertainty and enhance self-efficacy in coping with breast cancer.

Self-care intervention programs should include strategies to reduce uncertainty and enhance self-efficacy in coping with breast cancer treatment.