Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women, and chemotherapy can diminish patients’ self-efficacy. Structured self-care education helps empower patients to manage symptoms and adhere to treatment. This study aimed to determine the effect of self-care education on self-efficacy among women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: This quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest design and control group was conducted on 90 women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy in Zahedan, Iran. Participants were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to intervention (n = 45) and control (n = 45) groups. The intervention group received three 45-minute sessions of structured self-care education. Data was collected using the Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH) questionnaire, completed before and six weeks after the intervention. Data was analyzed using paired and independent t-tests in SPSS version 26. Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in mean self-efficacy scores between the two groups (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the mean self-efficacy score in the intervention group increased from 124.73 ± 12.09 to 138.82 ± 11.54 (p < 0.001), while in the control group it changed slightly from 125.11 ± 12.34 to 125.88 ± 12.56, showing no significant improvement. The between-group difference after the intervention was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Structured self-care education significantly improved self-efficacy among women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Integrating such programs into nursing care may enhance patients’ active participation in their treatment.
salar A, rezvani amin M, Yousefian Miandoab N, keikha H. The Effect of Self-Care Education on Self-Efficacy of Women with Breast Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: quasi–Experimental Study. IJNR 2025; 20 (5) URL: http://ijnr.ir/article-1-3055-en.html