International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Qualitative Analysis of Anxiety among Women with Breast Cancer after Mastectomy in Idukki District, Kerala.

Abstract The present descriptive study has been conducted to examine the socio-demographic characteristics and anxiety among Women affected by breast cancer. This study presents three case studies of women surviving breast cancer in Idukki district in Kerala each highlighting the Anxiety. The first case study includes a 38-year-old woman experiencing sustained anxiety after mastectomy about her partner’s love, the family’s financial struggles, and the future of her children and their studies. the second, a 67-year-old unmarried woman with progressive disease who expressed fears of dependence and isolation and had feeling that she was a burden to the relatives who cared for her, and the third, a socioeconomically disadvantaged 40-year-old woman whose anxiety centered on financial hardship and her children’s future. Applying a qualitative approach using an exploratory design, information was gathered through an in-depth interview with the patient in the presence of a palliative care nurse. Psychosocial interventions, including counselling, coping strategies, and family support played a key role in her distress. This study attempts to understand the need to integrate anxiety-focused psychosocial care into breast cancer patients and palliative services in Idukki district.