The Role of Mediating Pain Catastrophizing in the Relationship between Health Literacy and Specific Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients

Health literacy is the ability to receive, process, understand and understand health-related information and services in order to make appropriate health decisions. The health literacy for breast cancer patients plays an important role in accessing adequate diagnostic and therapeutic measures. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of Pain catastrophizing in the relationship between health literacy and specific quality of life among patients with breast cancer.

 The present study was a cross-sectional and correlational study in terms of method and was basic science in terms of purpose. In this cross-sectional study, 213 consecutive patients with breast cancer were selected based on the inclusive and exclusive criteria. Then, the patients completed questionnaires of Iranian version of health literacy, quality of life and Pain catastrophizing. Data were analyzed using SPSS and LISREL software by path analysis model.

All components of health literacy and specific quality of life were significantly correlated with Pain catastrophizing. Also there was a significant association between health literacy and specific quality of life. The findings showed that as far as the health literacy is Increase, the Pain catastrophizing scores significantly are also decrease.

It seems that Pain catastrophizing plays the mediating role between health literacy and specific quality of life among patients with breast cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the relational model between these factors for development of psychological protocols and integrating those protocols in therapeutic plans for breast cancer patients.