Impact of Coping Skills Training on the Quality of Life Among the Daughters of Mothers with Breast Cancer

Cancer affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their families. The purpose ofthis study was to determine the effect of coping skills training on the QoL among daughters of motherswith breast cancer. In this quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design, data were collected from 70 participants(35 in each of the control and education groups) from January 2016 to July 2017 in Imam Khomeiniand Rasole-e-Akram Hospitals in Tehran. The education group participated in a workshop and group discussion (groups of 5 to 8 participants) with the presence of a pediatric psychiatrist and two pediatricnurses, and then a follow up program was performed. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory version4.0 was used in this study in two stages of pre-test (before education) and post-test (four weeks later).Data were analyzed through SPSS, version 21 using independent t-test and paired t-test for comparisonof the mean scores of the two groups, with the significance level of 0.05. After the education, there were significantly improved scores of the QoL in the dimensionsof physical functioning (p <0.001), emotional functioning (p <0.001), and school functioning (p <0.001)in the study group compared to the control group. The social functioning did not show a significantchange (p <0.083). The findings of the study confirm that coping skills training can lead to the improvementof QoL in adolescent daughters of mothers with breast cancer. Healthcare professionals must providethe mothers and daughters with information about breast cancer and instruments to handle theirsituation to promote the daughters’ QoL.