THE EFFECT OF BREAST CANCER SURGERY ON MARITAL QUALITY IN SAUDI ARABIA


Nada Khayat

(1) RN, MSc. Lecturer at the College of Nursing in Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Correspondence:
Nada Khayat, RN, MSc.
Lecturer at the College of Nursing in Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University,
Dammam, Saudi Arabia
.Phone#: +966533500805
Email: nrkhayat@iau.edu.sa

Received: October 2025; Accepted: November 2025; Published: November-December 2025
Citation: Nada Khayat et al. . The Effect of Breast Cancer Surgery on Marital Quality in Saudi Arabia. Middle East Journal of Nursing 2025; 19(1): 4-20. DOI: 10.5742/MEJN2025.9378106

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ABSTRACT

Background: Breast cancer, accounting for 1 in every 8 cancer diagnoses, is a growing worry for women globally. In Saudi Arabia statistics have shown that BC accounts for over 30% of all recorded cancer cases. Marriage, being the only official relationship between a man and a woman in Saudi Arabia, is put to the test after the diagnosis of breast cancer, hence this systematic review is conducted, to gain knowledge and understanding on the effect of breast cancer surgery on marital quality in Saudi Arabia.

Method: This systematic review with narrative synthesis was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) integrated mixed method protocol as well as the PRISMA reporting guidelines. The largest biomedical databases were searched in this review: Medline, CINHAL and Psychinfo.

Results: This review is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia in exploring the influence of treating breast cancer with surgery on marital relationships. Five relevant articles were included (one qualitative and four quantitative). This review synthesised available evidence through narrative synthesis to put data into context and produced four core themes: (1) Women’s social role in Saudi Arabia (2) Perceptions of breast cancer (3) Effects on relationship (4) Emotional reactions.

Conclusion: It has not been possible to conclude that breast cancer surgery affects marital quality in Saudi Arabia. However, it has been found that research in SA related to cultural influence on BC and BC effect on marital relationship is lacking greatly and is affecting how women in SA with BC are approached. Therefore, this review will create opportunities for future research in relation to BC effect on marital quality in SA more evidently.

Key words: Breast cancer, Saudi Arabia, Marriage, Breast cancer surgery, marital relationship