Table 1.
Characteristics of the participants and demographic differences in symptom burden (n = 192).
| Variable | n (%) | t/F | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational level | 4.195 | 0.003 | |
| Elementary school or less | 37 (19.3) | ||
| Junior high school | 51 (26.6) | ||
| High school/high vocational school | 52 (27.1) | ||
| College education or higher | 52 (27.1) | ||
| Residence | 6.817 | 0.001 | |
| City | 76 (39.6) | ||
| Suburban | 59 (30.7) | ||
| Rural | 57 (29.7) | ||
| Occupation | 5.124 | 0.007 | |
| In employment | 68 (35.4) | ||
| Unemployed | 78 (40.6) | ||
| Retired | 46 (24.0) | ||
| Marital status | −3.658 | ＜0.001 | |
| Married | 170 (88.5) | ||
| Unmarried/divorced/widowed | 22 (11.5) | ||
| Children | 0.767 | 0.514 | |
| None | 12 (6.3) | ||
| One | 91 (47.4) | ||
| Two | 80 (41.7) | ||
| Three or more | 9 (4.7) | ||
| Principal caregiver | 1.823 | 0.144 | |
| Spouse | 136 (70.8) | ||
| Parent | 11 (5.7) | ||
| Child | 32 (16.7) | ||
| Others | 13 (6.8) | ||
| Time since diagnosis(months) | 5.893 | 0.003 | |
| ≤ 6 | 113 (58.9) | ||
| 7–11 | 27 (14.1) | ||
| ≥ 12 | 52 (27.1) | ||
| Stage of breast cancer | 7.283 | ＜0.001 | |
| Stage Ⅰ | 30 (15.6) | ||
| Stage Ⅱ | 84 (43.8) | ||
| Stage Ⅲ | 71 (37.0) | ||
| Stage Ⅳ | 7 (3.6) | ||
| The operation type | 2.578 | 0.079 | |
| Modified radical operation | 148 (77.1) | ||
| Breast-conserving surgery | 21 (10.9) | ||
| Modified radical operation +breast reconstruction |
23 (12.0) | ||
| Treatment method after surgery | 4.833 | 0.003 | |
| None | 29 (15.1) | ||
| Chemotherapy | 119 (62.0) | ||
| Radiotherapy | 3 (1.6) | ||
| Chemotherapy and radiotherapy | 41 (21.4) | ||
| Perceived medical burden | 12.54 | ＜0.001 | |
| No burden at all | 6 (3.1) | ||
| Almost no burden | 40 (20.8) | ||
| Have some burden | 104 (54.2) | ||
| Have a lost burden | 42 (21.9) |