Background

Due to pathological differences with other chronic diseases, breast cancer causes psychological and emotional problems, such as negative feelings, anxiety and stress.

Objectives

The present study aimed to measure the perceived level of stress and its socio-demographic predictors among women with breast cancer.

Material and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 166 women receiving treatment for breast cancer in Ghazi Tabatabaie, Al-Zahra, Vali-Asr and Shams hospitals of Tabriz-Iran in 2017. A convenience sampling method was employed to select the participants. The required data was gathered using Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and then statistically analysed using the independent t-Test, one-way ANOVA, the Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

The mean (standard deviation) score of perceived stress was 32.9 (5.2) out of 56. The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that income, education of the mother and marital satisfaction were predictors of perceived stress. These variables predicted 21.5% of the observed variance in the total score of perceived stress.

Conclusions

The results indicated that the mean score of perceived stress was higher than average in women receiving treatment for breast cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and execute strategies to reduce stress in such patients, especially those with a family history of breast cancer.