Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. It jeopardizes different aspects of individual health including mental health. The aim of the study was to evaluate mental health among women who had survived breast cancer and also among the general population Methods: In a case-control design, we recruited 60 participants in two groups. The first group had survived breast cancer and had undergone mastectomy while the other group was selected from the general population. Mental health status of participants was measured by general health questionnaire (GHQ-28). For analyzing the data, Student t-test and logistic regression were used. Findings: Data analyses did not reveal any significant differences in mental health scores between the two groups. Although the risk of psychological distress increased 44 in breast cancer patients, there were not any statistically significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Iranian women survived from breast cancer are not significantly different with the general population in terms of mental health. © 2012, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.