Mary is a 25 year woman who is married with twin boys aged eight months. Mary’s partner Sam is in the Air Force and is currently deployed in the Middle East. Mary has limited contact with Sam who has...

Mary is a 25 year woman who is married with twin boys aged eight months. Mary’s partner Sam is in the Air Force and is currently deployed in the Middle East. Mary has limited contact with Sam who has been on deployment for over 12 months and was not present at the birth of their children. Mary lives in housing provided through the defence force for the families of service men. She has no family living nearby, but communicates with her parents and 2 siblings on a regular basis using Skype. However, she has not physically seen her family since the twins have been born.
After discovering a lump in her left breast whilst she was showering, Mary is very anxious about what this might mean. Mary’s GP refers her for a series of tests. The results indicate that Mary has early-stage breast cancer.


Task:

Discuss the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural responses that Mary is likely to experience in relation to this diagnosis. Your discussion must include a reference to the risk and protective factors that are relevant to Mary’s situation