Emotional expectations reported by hospitalized women in southeastern Brazil before being submitted to mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction: A clinical-qualitative study

Abstract

Introduction

Breast cancer is a type that more affects female population in the world. Surgical indication, present in most cases, is a mutilating procedure and mentally traumatic for majority of women subjected. Thus, immediate breast reconstruction, which is the choice to rebuild the breast during the mastectomy surgery, is an alternative to reduce discomforts associated with loss of the breast, in addition to being associated potentially with improved emotional and psychosocial quality of life.

Objective

To discuss, from psychological viewpoint, the emotional expectations about surgical results of a planned mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction, reported by women with breast cancer treated in a university hospital in Campinas, state of São Paulo.

Method

Qualitative design, particularized in the clinical-qualitative method, adequate to health assistant settings, using the semi-directed interview with open-ended questions in-depth, fully transcribed and after submitted to content clinical-qualitative analysis. Intentional sample closed by criterion of information theoretical saturation with 12 sequential participants.

Results

Amongst the emergent categories from free-floating readings, we have chosen the following to presentation:.

–The desire of healing above expectations of the aesthetic aspects;

–The perception of the surgical approach predominantly with aesthetic effects;

–The desire of a contra-lateral healthy breast withdrawal, too.

Conclusions

Face the proposal of mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, days before the surgery, women reported to be well emotionally organized for the procedure, although in different ways. This occurs probably due to emotional meanings built by many experiences from their psychological histories, as well as from values provided by the socio-cultural environments.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.