Factors influencing resilience among breast cancer survivors: Implications for evidence-based practice

Breast cancer survivors are increasing in South Korea, and resilience has become very important in their life.

This study aimed to examine the relationships among anxiety, depression, family support, problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, self-efficacy, and resilience, and the factors influencing the resilience of breast cancer survivors.

A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. Participants were 153 breast cancer survivors after completion of treatment who were 5 years or less after diagnosis in South Korea. Measures were the general characteristics list, Korean version of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Korean version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, family support scale, Korean version of Ways of Coping Checklist, and Self-Efficacy Scale.

The strongest predictor that influenced resilience was depression (β = -0.32), followed by family support (β = 0.23) and problem-focused coping (β = 0.15). Resilience levels in breast cancer survivors after completion of treatment were relatively low.

Interventions using problem-focused coping, including family members, could increase resilience, thus, moving away from focusing solely on the perspectives of cancer survivors when developing and implementing support interventions. Nurses should pay attention to influencing factors to help improve the resilience of breast cancer survivors during the extended survivorship phase.