Illness + moral charge: the double punishment for women with cancer

According to a survey, 90% of women with breast or ovarian cancer want their moral responsibility recognized. A moral burden characterized by the accumulation of daily tasks and the harmful effects of the disease on the patient’s life.

Fight the disease and take care of daily life. According to a study conducted by we fight90% of affected women want the moral charge associated with cancer recognized. Moral burden is defined in the study as: “the cognitive costs borne by patients, the disease which, already present in the body, insinuates in all aspects of life”.

In a press release, Wefight co-founder Benoît Brouard explains: “ People with cancer have a high moral burden, because they experience a double punishment: physical pain is exacerbated by fatigue, difficulty concentrating or the inability to perform daily tasks. †

According to the survey that interviewed 419 sick women, 31% of whom “state that they have not worked since their diagnosis”† Of the patients, 11% changed their contract, preferring part-time work. Results, “30% of cancer patients experience financial difficulties due to changes in their professional lives and 18% due to medical and paramedical costs” alarm the study.

Acting “as if everything is fine”

The disease affects the psychological state of 70% of the respondents. More than one in two patients (56%) admit “Feeling depressed in the face of the obstacles and difficulties caused by their illness and their treatments. † In detail, we note that 16% say they “severely depressed”† For over a third of the respondents (39%) it is difficult to find a moment of relaxation during the day.

In the context of social life, 71% of respondents felt they should, “as if everything was fine”† Faced with their loved ones, “two-thirds of them (66%) felt they should minimize their symptoms† Finally, for 65% of the respondents, the illness affected their self-esteem. “Cancer is often a protracted battle and the more time that passes, the more patients experience crippling loneliness. However, the upheaval this invisible disease brings to patients’ lives can be devastating to their mental health. It is essential to work on the implementation of a follow-up ppsychology and a real support for the medical follow-up”, explains Benoît Brouard.

Methodology: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in patients using the Vik Breast and Vik Ovary applications. Patient users of Vik Breast and Vik Ovary were invited directly to the application to participate in the study. The questionnaire on which the research is based was written by Wefight (research team) and validated by the product team. The Scientific Director also validated the questionnaire and the methodology followed. An information notice regarding the processing of personal data, validated by the legal department, was handed over to each user. Free and informed consents were also collected. All data for this study was collected pseudo-anonymously through the Vik Breast and Vik Ovary apps. The 419 women surveyed are over 18 and have or have had cancer. The data collection took place from June to July 2021.

-ETX Daily Up

Leave a Comment