Quality of life, insomnia, attitudes and beliefs in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer: a cross-sectional study in Amol city Northern Iran.

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most common disease in women worldwide, and it can cause serious physical and psychological problems, particularly in Iran, where it accounts for 23.6% of all malignancies in women. The goal of the current study was to examine the quality of life, insomnia, attitudes and beliefs in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

METHODS

A correlational study among 468 breast cancer patients (Stages I-III) selected through convenient sampling in northern Iran was conducted in 2024 to measure quality of life (QoL), insomnia, and patients' attitudes and beliefs toward cancer via the EORTC QLQ-C30, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Cancer Attitude and Belief Questionnaire, respectively. Validity and reliability of all instruments were confirmed via content validity index and Cronbach's α respectively. Normality of data was assessed via kurtosis, skewness and Q-Q plots. The data analysis was performed via SPSS Version 24.0 through ordinal logistic regression analyses and Gamma-Cramer correlations.

RESULTS

The individuals (mean age: 45.03 ± 10.57 years) had a high quality of life (81.46 ± 21.4) and mild insomnia (10.54 ± 5.86). QoL was significantly negatively correlated with both insomnia (r=-0.147; p value < 0.05) and patients' attitudes/beliefs toward cancer (r=-0.653; p value < 0.05). Low socioeconomic status had a substantial impact on low QoL (OR = 16.94, p < 0.001) and higher levels of insomnia (OR = 0.35, p = 0.024).

CONCLUSION

This study emphasizes the need for comprehensive, culturally responsive healthcare treatments by highlighting the many aspects that affect the quality of life of patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy, as more than half of the patients reported insomnia problems.