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Factors affecting medical healthcare-seeking behaviours of female patients according to their stage of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of study was to determine factors affecting the medical healthcare-seeking behaviours of female patients according to their stage of being diagnosed with breast cancer.


METHODS
This descriptive and correlational study was carried out with 150 women. The data were collected by a survey form, the Body Perception Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale.


RESULTS
About 54% of the women were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, 68.7% had high self-esteem, and 80% had positive body perceptions, while their social appearance anxiety levels were moderate. The patients with breast cancer at the 4th stage had a high body perception score of 174.00 ± 23.34. Self-esteem was the highest in the patients with stage 2B breast cancer with a value of 0.61 ± 0.91. The highest social anxiety mean score was found in the patients with stage 2A breast cancer as 31.65 ± 12.50. There was no statistically significant difference in the women's sociodemographic characteristics, health and breast cancer history, self-esteem, body perception and social appearance anxiety based on their stages of cancer (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSION
Nurses' identification of risky individuals in early diagnosis, information for the individual / family and society by planning trainings and raising awareness will contribute positively to the patients' medical health-seeking behaviours.