Psychological Consequences of Breast Cancer in Iran: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is known as one of the most common cancers among women and has severe psychological effects. This study aimed to identify the psychological consequences of breast cancer in previous studies based on meta-analysis. METHODS: Meta-analytic procedures were conducted by Prisma guidelines. A literature search was conducted by using following electronic databases including scientific information databases (SID), Magiran, Medlib, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL and Medline from 1991 through 2017 regarding the psychological consequences associated with breast cancer in Iran. The content of all articles was evaluated by the Prisma checklist and analyzed meta-analysis in CMA software. RESULTS: The final synthesis was carried out on 56 quantitative studies. Considering the findings of meta-analysis of the psychological consequences of patients with breast cancer in seven classes, anxiety (ES=−0.76), body image (ES=0.199), coping strategies (ES= 0.214), depression (ES=−0.700), fatigue (ES=0.322), quality of life (ES= 0.428), and sexual function (ES=0.355) were achieved. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the high level of psychological consequences of breast cancer in women with breast cancer, it is necessary to formulate appropriate therapeutic protocols in order to adjust the psychological consequences.