Racial and body image differences in coping for women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Although more White women develop breast cancer, African American women more frequently die of the disease (American Cancer Society, 2003). Despite higher morbidity among African American women, few studies have included racially diverse samples. The purposes of this study were to explore racial and body image differences in coping and self-efficacy in coping and racial differences in body image perceptions among breast cancer patients. The 92 participants ranged in age from 28 to 86 years (M=57.64, SD=12.48). Participants with higher body image perceptions had significantly higher self-efficacy in coping compared with participants with lower body image perceptions. There were no significant racial or ethnic differences in coping, self-efficacy in coping, or body image perceptions.