Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of Arab breast cancer survivors and healthy controls for spousal relationship, body image, and emotional distress

  • Published:
Quality of Life Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Cultural perceptions and norms affect individuals’ psychological reactions to cancer and quality of life, but very few studies have assessed reactions to breast cancer in specific cultural groups. Such assessments are especially rare for Arab women with breast cancer.

Aims

To assess the effect of spousal support, sharing household tasks, and body image in relation to emotional distress in Arab breast cancer survivors compared with matched healthy controls.

Method

Fifty-six Israeli Arab breast cancer survivors (stages I–III), and 66 age- and education-matched women answered Brief Symptoms Inventory-18, Perceived Body Image, Perceived Spousal Support and Division of Household Labor scale questionnaires.

Results

Breast cancer patients experienced higher psychological distress, especially anxiety and somatization. They reported receiving more support from their spouses and higher sharing of household tasks than did matched healthy controls, but were not different regarding body image. Twenty-eight percent of the variance of psychological distress was explained, with group, perceived support, and group × body image interaction. Thus, higher psychological distress was more likely to occur in participants receiving lower support and in breast cancer survivors with lower body image.

Conclusions

The study described the effects of breast cancer on Arab women compared to healthy women. It highlights the need for culture-sensitive care for Arab breast cancer patients, as well as other patients from minority groups residing in other Western countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Amir, M., & Ramati, A. (2002). Post traumatic symptoms, emotional distress and quality of life among long term survivors of breast cancer. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 16, 191–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bardwell, W. A., Major, J. M., Rock, C. L., Newman, V. A., Thomson, C. A., Chilton, J. A., et al. (2004). Health-related quality of life in women previously treated for early-stage breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 13, 595–604.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Bloom, J. R., Stewart, S. L., & Johnston, M. (1998). Intrusiveness of illness and quality of life in young women with breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 7, 89–100.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Carver, C. S., Smith, R. G., Petronis, V. M., & Antoni, M. H. (2006). Quality of life among long-term survivors of breast cancer: Different types of antecedents predict different classes of outcomes. Psycho-Oncology, 15, 749–758.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Montazeri, A. (2008). Health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients: A bibliographic review of the literature from 1974 to 2007. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, 27, 32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Derogatis, L. R., Morrow, G. R., Fetting, J., Penman, D., Piasetsky, S., Schmale, A. M., et al. (1983). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among cancer patients. Journal of the American Medical Association, 249, 751–757.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Omne-Ponten, M., Holmberg, L., & Sjoden, P. O. (1994). Psychosocial adjustment among women with breast cancer stages I and II: Six-year follow-up of consecutive patients. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 12, 1778–1782.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cassileth, B. R., Lush, E. J., Strouse, T. B., Miller, D. S., Brown, L. L., & Cross, P. A. (1985). A psychological analysis of cancer patients and their next-of-kin. Cancer, 55, 72–76.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Alferi, S. M., Carver, C. S., Antoni, M. H., Weiss, S., & Duran, R. E. (2001). An exploratory study of social support, distress, and life disruption among low-income Hispanic women under treatment for early stage breast cancer. Health Psychology, 20, 41–46.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Baider, L., Kaufman, B., Ever-Hadani, P., & Kaplan De-Nour, A. (1996). Coping with additional stresses: Comparative study of healthy and cancer patients new immigrants. Social Science and Medicine, 42, 1077–1084.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kagawa-Singer, M., Wellisch, D. K., & Durvasula, R. (1997). Impact of breast cancer on Asian American and Anglo American women. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 21, 449–480.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Lim, J. W., & Zebrack, B. (2008). Different pathways in social support and quality of life between Korean American and Korean breast and gynecological cancer survivors. Quality of Life Research, 17, 679–689.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Yeo, W., Kwan, W. H., Teo, P. M., Nip, S., Wong, E., Hin, L. Y., et al. (2004). Psychosocial impact of breast cancer surgeries in Chinese patients and their spouses. Psycho-Oncology, 13, 132–139.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Azaiza, F., & Cohen, M. (2008). Between traditional and modern perceptions of breast and cervical cancer screenings: A qualitative study of Arab women in Israel. Psycho-Oncology, 17, 34–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Institute of Medicine. (2002). Speaking of health: Assessing health communication strategies for diverse populations. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Angel, R. J., & Williams, K. (2000). Cultural models of health and illness. In I. Cuellar & F. A. Paniagua (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural mental health (pp. 27–44). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Haj-Yahia, M. (1995). Toward culturally sensitive intervention with Arab families in Israel. Contemporary Family Therapy, 17, 429–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Shokeid, M. (1993). Ethnic identity and the position of women among Arabs in an Israeli town. In Y. Azmon & D. N. Izraell (Eds.), Women in Israel (pp. 423–441). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Noyan, M. A., Sertoz, O. O., Elbi, H. E., Kayar, R., & Yilmaz, R. (2006). Variables affecting patient satisfaction in breast surgery: A cross-sectional sample of Turkish women with breast cancer. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 36, 299–313.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Ford, K., Dolan, B. M., & Evans, C. (1990). Cultural factors in the eating disorders: A study of body shape preferences of Arab students. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 34, 501–507.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Safir, M. P., Kellner, S. F., & Rosenmannm, A. (2005). When gender differences surpass cultural differences in personal satisfaction with body shape in Israeli college students. Sex Roles, 52, 369–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Baron-Epel, O., Granot, M., Badarna, S., & Avrami, S. (2004). Perceptions of breast cancer among Arab Israeli women. Women and Health, 40, 101–116.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Shoma, A. M., Mohamed, M. H., Nouman, N., Amin, A., Ibrahim, I. M., Tobar, S. S., et al. (2009). Body image disturbance and surgical decision making in Egyptian post menopausal breast cancer patients. World Journal of Surgical Oncology, 7, 66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Taleghani, F., Yekta, Z. P., & Nasrabadi, A. N. (2006). Coping with breast cancer in newly diagnosed Iranian women. Journal Advanced Nursing, 54, 265–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Pines, A. M., & Zaidman, N. (2003). Gender, culture, and social support: A male-female, Israeli Jewish-Arab comparison. Sex Roles, 49, 571–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Lavee, Y., & Katz, R. (2002). Division of labor, perceived fairness, and marital quality: The effect of gender ideology. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 64, 27–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Falk Dahl, C. A., Reinertsen, K. V., Nesvold, I. L., Fossa, S. D., & Dahl, A. A. (2010). A study of body image in long-term breast cancer survivors. Cancer, 116, 3549–3557.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Cohen, M. Z., Kahn, D. L., & Steeves, R. H. (1998). Beyond body image: The experience of breast cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 25, 835–841.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Mock, V. (1993). Body image in woman treated for breast cancer. Nursing Research, 42, 153–157.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. White, C. A. (2000). Body image dimensions and cancer: A heuristic cognitive behavioural model. Psycho-Oncology, 9, 183–192.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Bloom, J. R. (2000). The role of the family support in cancer control. In: L. Baider, C.L. Cooper, & A. Kaplan De-Nour AK. (eds). Cancer and the family (pp. 55–71). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Bloom, J. R., Stewart, S. L., Chang, S., & Banks, P. (2004). Then and now: Quality of life in young breast cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology, 13, 147–160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Sandgren, A. K., Mullens, A. B., Erickson, S. C., Romanek, K. M., & McCaul, K. D. (2004). Confidant and breast cancer patient report of quality of life. Quality of Life Research, 13, 155–160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Lewis, J. A., Manne, S. L., DuHamel, K. N., Vickburg, S. M. J., Bovjerg, D. H., Currie, V., et al. (2001). Social support, intrusive thoughts, and quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 24, 231–245.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Olson, D. H., & DeFrain, J. (2000). Marriage and the family: Diversity and strength. London: Mayfield.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Greenstein, T. N. (1996). Husbands’ participation in domestic labor: Interactive effects of wives’ and husbands’ gender ideologies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 585–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Coltrane, S. (2000). Research on household labor: Modeling and measuring the social embeddedness of routine family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 1208–1233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Glass, J., & Fujimoto, T. (1994). Housework, paid work, and depression among husbands and wives. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 35, 179–191.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Pina, D. L., & Bengetson, V. L. (1993). The division of household labor and wives’ happiness: Ideology employment, and perception of support. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 901–912.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Derogatis, L. R. (2000). The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) 18: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Gray, S. (1997). Social aspects of body image. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 45, 1035–1040.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Vinokur, A. D., Price, R. H., & Caplan, R. D. (1996). Hard times and hurtful partners: How financial strain affects depression and relationship satisfaction of unemployed persons and their spouses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 166–179.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Cohen, J. (1997). Statistical power analysis for behavioral sciences. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Atkinson, D., Bui, U., & Mori, S. (2001). Multiculturally sensitive empirically supported treatment—an oxymoron? In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of cultural counseling (pp. 542–574). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Cohen, M., Arad, S., Lorber, M., & Pollack, S. (2007). Psychological distress, life stressors, and social support in new immigrants with HIV. Behavioral Medicine, 33, 45–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Dorval, M., Mondor, M., Masse, B., Falardeau, M., Robidoux, A., Deschênes, L., et al. (2005). Couples who get closer after breast cancer: Frequency and predictors in a prospective investigation. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 23, 3588–3596.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Beatty, C. A. (1996). The stress of managerial and professional women: Is the price too high? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17, 233–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Rajaram, S. S., & Rashidi, A. (1999). Asian-Islamic women and breast cancer screening: A sociocultural analysis. Women and Health, 28, 45–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Haifa, 31905, Israel

    Miri Cohen & Ahlam Abdallah Mabjish

  2. Department of Gerontology, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, 31905, Israel

    Miri Cohen

  3. Ziv Medical Center, Safed, and Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel

    Jamal Zidan

Authors
  1. Miri Cohen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ahlam Abdallah Mabjish
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jamal Zidan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miri Cohen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cohen, M., Abdallah Mabjish, A. & Zidan, J. Comparison of Arab breast cancer survivors and healthy controls for spousal relationship, body image, and emotional distress. Qual Life Res 20, 191–198 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-010-9747-9

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-010-9747-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation