OBJECTIVES: To verify the prevalence of depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer and identify risk factors associated to its occurrence. METHODS: It was a transversal study where 71 women with breast cancer were interviewed. Two instruments were applied, being one questionnaire used to verify sociodemographic and clinical data, and the Beck Depression Inventory - Short Form to evaluate depressive symptoms. Descriptive methods and chi-square test were utilized to analyze data, evaluating association between depressive symptoms, sociodemographic and clinical data. Significance level was considered of 5%. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms prevalence was 29,6%. Factors associated to the presence of this kind of symptoms were: chemotherapic treatment (p = 0,021), pain presence (p = 0,018), upper limb movement limitation (p = 0,010) and bad health perception (p = 0,018). CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms were frequent in association with breast cancer, and this suggests that women mental status with this kind of cancer must be investigated and treated when necessary, lowing the impact of depressive symptoms in women's life.
Depression; breast neoplasms; epidemiology; psychological stress
