Is self-efficacy a predictor of short-term post-surgical adjustment among Chinese women with breast cancer?

Background. High self-efficacy (SE) is regarded as beneficial for cancer patients in facilitating adaptation and therefore desirable. However, this may not always be the case. Design: A longitudinal cohort study of women receiving breast cancer surgery. Path analysis examined impact of high and low baseline SE scores on outcome. Post hoc analysis stratified outcome expectations by SE. Methods: 405/529 eligible Chinese women aged 28-79 years receiving breast cancer surgery in six regional Hong Kong hospitals were interviewed within I week of surgery. After assessing SE, incongruence between expectancy and outcome of surgery (E-OI), and psychological morbidity, 91% of women were followed for I month when psychological and social morbidity were assessed (follow-up). Results: After adjustment for demographic and histopathological factors, psychological morbidity was predicted by E-OI Women with high E-OI had more impairment of sexuality and self-image. Women with high SE had better self-image and relationships with friends, but tended to underestimate the negative consequences of surgery on appearance. This increased E-OI and thereby psychological morbidity. Conclusions: High post-surgical SE benefits early social adaptation, but also leads to under-estimating the negative impacts of surgery, impairing psychological adjustment. High SE can thereby contribute indirectly and significantly to increased psychological morbidity. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.