An exploratory study about instrumental social support perception and familiar role modification in woman with breast cancer.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between the sources and types of instrumental support provided to women with breast zancer, with changes in roles and daily activities in patients and their relatives.
Methods: Qualitative study focused on the ethnography of 9 patients with nreast cancer. Through MAXQDA v10 software, we did a thematic analysis of discourse and developed cross tables for the analysis of the study variables.
Results: For these women, the nuclear family is the main source of instrumental support, also are who often modify their daily activities and social roles. Women with breast cancer expressed difficulty delegating household chores, principally due to three reasons: Her mother's responsibility, a sense of usefulness and traditional gender ideology.
Conclusions: The impact of cancer in women has unique consequences, because they assume central role in family life. Functional, affective and relational movements occurring in the family with breast cancer diagnosis, seems to be frequent and with important implications, which has been little studied in our population. These aspects should be considered as an important element in the understanding and support given to Breast Cancer patients and their families.