When Healing Meets Harm: Intimate Partner Violence in Breast Cancer Patients

Aim: The study aimed to determine the intimate partner violence and affecting factors of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional research design was adopted in this study. The research was conducted in the surgical oncology service of a city hospital between March 2023 and August 2023. This study used the “Demographic Form” and “Intimate Partner Violence Scale” as data collection tools. The research was evaluated using forms prepared for 213 female patients and interpreting their verbal expressions. Data were analyzed with SPSS for Windows 22 package program. Ethical permission and written consent were obtained from the patients for the research. Results: The rate of women being subjected to physical violence was determined as 19.3% for 41 people, 100% for emotional/verbal violence for 213 people, 46% for economic violence for 98 people, and 30.1% for sexual violence for 64 people. According to the Intimate Partner Violence Scale, the average score of the violence experienced by the participants from their spouses was determined as 74.45. The rates of violence experienced by those who received chemotherapy and surgery due to their illness were higher. Conclusion: Considering these findings, the extent of violence experienced by female patients diagnosed with breast cancer from their spouses or close partners was found to be relatively high.