Management of Hopelessness and Coping among Breast Cancer Patients

The study on "management of hopelessness and coping among breast cancer patients" was conducted in Coimbatore Cancer Foundation in Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital, Coimbatore by purposive sampling method. 75 breast cancer patients served as the sample. They were in the age range of 35-70 years under medication. The patients with high scores in Hopelessness and low in brief coping were selected for the study. The tools used for assessment were case study schedule, Beck hopelessness scale (Beck, 1978), and brief coping scale (Carver, 1997). The psychological intervention, "rational emotive behavior therapy" (REBT) was administered to the patients. After 15 days, the re-assessment was given using the same questionnaires. The results indicated a significant reduction in the mean hopelessness with increase in coping strategies. This clearly indicates the effect of REBT in coping among breast cancer patients.