ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy, social support, and community participation in Korean breast cancer survivors. Methods: Data were collected through questionnaires from 40 women with breast cancer in an outpatient setting at a hospital in H city, Korea. The instruments included self-efficacy checked using SESSM-B, social support checked based on MSPSS, and community social participation using K-CPI. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency, percentage, and Spearman’s correlation coefficients through SPSS WIN 18.0 for Windows. Results: The mean score for self-efficacy was 3.70±.38, social support was 3.49±.66, and community participation was 3.27±.65, out of a total possible score of 5. In the results on the frequency of engagement in activities and the percentage of participants who view activities as important, most of the participants reported that spending time with family, cooking and housework, and engaging in hobbies or leisure activities are important activities. However, their frequency of such activities was low. Social support showed a positive correlation with self-efficacy (p < .01) and community participation (p < .001). Conclusion: Implications for those working in survivorship care include the need to consider addressing their associated social roles, relationships, and responsibilities when designing strategies to increase the participation of breast cancer survivors. Additional studies are needed, however.