Nursing care based on the Support-Based Spiritual Care Model increases hope among women with breast cancer in Iran.

PURPOSE: Taking care of cancer patients and treating them are among major challenges in the field of health. Several studies have shown that promotion of hope is an efficient strategy for effectively treating this group of patients, reducing their symptoms, and improving the quality of their life. It seems that spiritual care can boost hope in these patients. This study aims to determine the effects of nursing care based on the Support-Based Spiritual Care Model on boosting hope among women with breast cancer. METHODS: In this controlled clinical trial, 72 patients with breast cancer were selected through consecutive sampling and randomly assigned to two control and intervention groups (n = 36 in each group) based on four randomized blocks. The intervention was carried out based on the Support-Based Spiritual Care Model for the patients and their main caregivers in six sessions. Besides, the Snyder's hope scale was completed before and 1 month after the intervention by the participants in the intervention and control groups. RESULTS: The results of the independent samples t-test showed no significant difference in the mean scores of hope between the intervention and control groups before the intervention (P > 0.05). However, after the intervention, the mean scores of hope for the intervention and control groups were 46.71 ± 4.61 and 40.40 ± 5.42, respectively, showing a significant intergroup difference as verified by the independent samples t-test (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, providing nursing care based on the Support-Based Spiritual Care Model can raise hope in patients with breast cancer. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare professionals can boost hope in cancer patients through proper planning and adequate support in providing nursing care based on the proposed model.

Risk of breast cancer in relation to reproductive factors in North-West of Iran, 2013-2014.

More than one million new patients suffer from breast cancer annually in the world. In developed countries, breast cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed among women, and in developing regions, it often ranks second to cervical cancer. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between incidence of breast cancer and reproductive factors in North-West of Iran. This retrospective analytical control-case study was conducted with 235 breast cancer patients and 235 women in the control group. Data collection tools included a set of questions with interviews and patient medical records. Data were analyzed using statistical tests: t-test, Chi-square, Fisher, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Significantly increased risks were associated between breast cancer and older age at first pregnancy, age at menopause and history of contraceptive use. A trend for decreasing risk were observed with increasing parity. Findings of this study showed no association between breast cancer and age at menarche. The study results suggested that physiological and reproductive factors may play important roles in the development breast cancer among Iranian women.