Abstract

The purpose of this correlational study was to investigate the relationship between the following selected variables: perceived social support, education, perceived seriousness of cancer, age, pain, previous experience with a cancer patient, and length of time since diagnosis, to the level of hope in women with breast cancer. Findings from previous research and theoretical investigations of the phenomenon of hope guided the selection of these variables. ;The 70 subjects in the study were obtained from five outpatient oncology clinics. Respondents provided demographic and medically-related information, scores on the modified Miller Hope Scale, the Personal Resource Questionnaire 85-Part 2, and three self-anchoring scales. ;The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The hypotheses were analyzed through Pearson correlation coefficients. Multiple regression, using a stepwise procedure, was employed in order to obtain a regression equation of the most significant independent variables. Alpha level was set at.05. ;Statistically significant correlations were found between hope and the following three variables: perceived social support, perceived seriousness of cancer, and pain. Approximately 63 per cent of the variance in hope was accounted for by these variables. Perceived social support was found to be the best predictor of the level of hope in women with breast cancer. Whereas perceived social support and perceived seriousness of cancer were positively related to hope, pain was negatively related. Education, age, previous experience with a cancer patient, and length of time since diagnosis were not significantly correlated with the level of hope