Different Sources of Dignity-Related Distress in Women Receiving Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: Identification of different sources of dignity-related distress experienced by people nearing the end of life may help nurses to provide better care services. This study was conducted to determine sources of dignity-related distress from the perspective of women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross sectional study, the participants comprised 207 women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy in chemotherapy clinics in hospitals of Tehran, Iran. The Cronbach’s coefficient alpha for the PDI was 0.76. Validity of PDI by confirmatory factor analysis shows that the comparative Fit Index of this instrument is 0.96 and so it is appropriate for application in different setting. Data were analyzed by Stata version 13. RESULTS: Patients were mostly concerned about the distress caused by disease symptoms (mean; 2.4061, S.D.; 0.96), followed by existential distress (mean; 1.8784, S.D.; 0.75), peace of mind (mean; 1.871, S.D.; 0.77), dependence (mean; 1.8647, S.D.; 0.98), and social support (mean; 1.4097, S.D.; 0.99), respectively, in order of highest scores. CONCLUSION: Considering that the patients were mostly concerned about the distress caused by disease symptoms, followed by existential distress, peace of mind, dependency, and social support, it seems necessary to take further measures toward addressing these issues.