Background: Ovarian cancer kills more women than any other gynaecological cancer. Culture plays a big role: many patients show stoicism, follow Confucian rules, and believe in fate, which changes how they see stress, how they cope and how confident they feel.


Objective: This review brings together studies that show how perceived stress, coping methods, health locus of control, and self-efficacy work together in Asian women with ovarian cancer.


Methods: We looked at quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies that were written in English and came mostly from East, Southeast, and South Asia.


Results: Studies repeatedly showed that high perceived stress strongly indicated more anxiety, more depression, and worse quality of life that was clearly worse. Task-oriented coping together with family support showed lower distress again and again, while emotion-focused or avoidance coping indicated higher distress every time. In Asian patients, both internal health locus of control and powerful-others locus of control indicated better self-efficacy and better adherence, but chance locus of control showed helplessness and passive behaviour. Self-efficacy often worked as the link that explained how stress, coping, and locus of control finally affected quality of life. Exercise and good nursing care indicated clear increases in self-efficacy.


Conclusion: Mental suffering in Asian women with ovarian cancer is deeply shaped by collectivist thinking, trust in doctors and family, and beliefs about fate. Regular screening with tools that fit the culture and family-based psychological help are necessary so that patients gain self-efficacy, learn active coping, and reach better quality of life.