Healthcare professionals need to be sensitive to the individual experiences of women awaiting breast cancer surgery to give support to ease their situation. Setting the date for surgery will alleviate anxiety. Follow-up studies about the potential impact of presurgery experiences on later experiences of living with breast cancer and intervention studies are needed.

Avoiding being overwhelmed by emotional reactions was a major goal for the women. Their coping strategies displayed similar patterns but diverged on some points. In general they needed to manage the situation in their own way. By being aware of women's individual needs and different coping strategies, nurses and other healthcare professionals can improve support to women in this vulnerable situation.

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Mutual sharing of experiences is an important part of social support. Continuity, availability, information and respect were essential aspects of experienced professional support.

The purpose of this study is to explore experiences of insecurity among people living in relative poverty in an affluent welfare society. Twenty‐five long‐standing recipients of social security were interviewed. The study finds that poverty and related factors give rise to a sense of insecurity to which respondents react affectively with apprehension and anxiety. Respondents, all of whom live in the same Norwegian town, report multiple causes of their emotions, and adopt numerous psychological methods to address their sense of insecurity. The study's findings are discussed in light of theories of needs and emotions and contextual and methodological factors.