A percepção de pacientes com câncer de mama em relação ao trauma emocional e o aparecimento do tumor

The breast cancer patient’s perception of emotional trauma and the emergence of tumors is a recurrent issue in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the breast cancer patient’s perception of his or her emotional trauma coming from the emergence of a malignant tumor. The perception was investigated using a semi-structured interview, which was transcribed and analyzed by content analysis. The results were divided into three categories: loss trauma, guilt trauma, and inappropriate ways of coping with trauma. The results conclude that these patients manifest emotional trauma from breast cancer in various ways. The results are discussed based upon psychoanalytic theory.