The Prediction of Personal Status, Symptom Distress, and Symptom Management Behaviors Affecting the Quality of Life of Brain Tumor Patients

Abstract

Purpose: The study of the relationships and the predictive power between personal status, symptom distresses, and symptom management behaviors affecting on quality of brain tumor patients’ life.

Design: Predictive research

Methods: The sample of this study was 143 brain tumor patients who followed up at the outpatient department in two hospitals. The purposive sampling was used to select participants. The research instruments included: 1) Personal status scale the severity of symptoms and frequency of symptoms perceptions questionnaire, 3) the symptom management behaviors questionnaire, and 4) the quality of brain tumor patients' life questionnaire. The descriptive statistic was used to analyze the data using the chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, stepwise multiple regression analysis.

Findings: The overall quality of life was good level the mean of symptom distress was medium level, the mean of management behavior of symptom was low level, The result of predictive factor analysis in the quality of life by regression analysis showed that the severity of symptom distresses was the predictive factors on the quality of life of brain tumor patients was significant at the level of .05 (p< .05) as follows: symptom distress, symptom management behavior, location of a brain tumor at frontal lobe, location of a brain tumor at temporal lobe

Conclusion: The result of this study could be the basis data for planning to promote symptom management behaviors of brain tumor patients in order to relieve suffering and promote quality of life continuously.