Abstract

BASTOS, Celeste et al. Emotional adjustment in sarcoma patients and perceived autonomy support provided by nurses. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2016, n.16, pp.49-58. ISSN 1647-2160.  https://doi.org/10.19131/rpesm.0157.

Sarcomas are a rare type of solid cancer associated with several negative psychological outcomes in terms of functionality and self-image. There is an increased risk of emotional distress in sarcoma patients therefore it´s important to study how nurses can assist these patients. This is a longitudinal study aimed to study the association between emotional adjustment of patients with sarcoma and the perceived autonomy supportiveness provided by nurses Participants were 24 adult patients of both sexes, mean age of 41 (SD = 16,8), diagnosed with sarcoma. The instruments used were: Sociodemographic and Clinical Questionnaire, the Health Care Climate Questionnaire (HCCQ) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Overall, low levels of emotional distress were found during treatment. Patients reported a positive perception of perceived autonomy support provided by nurses, which proved to be associated with lower emotional distress, especially during the advanced phases of treatment. The study emphasizes the importance of the autonomous support provided by nurses in the disease management process, and gives clues to the identification of the most vulnerable patients in terms of emotional distress, in order to plan psychosocial interventions to promote patients´ wellbeing.

Keywords : Sarcoma; Anxiety; Depression; Personal autonomy.

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