The aim of this article is to shed more light on the relationship between quality of life and aspects of the psychosocial experience for women with breast cancer. The literature is briefly reviewed, including highlights of the psychosocial consequences of cancer, an exploration of the relationship of psychosocial variables to cancer, and a brief review of psychosocial interventions for cancer. Further, preliminary findings of an on-going NCI study are introduced. Finally, clinical implications are discussed. The purpose of this article is to provide a context and foundation on which future researchers and clinicians can build. Ultimately, we suggest that the biomedical model of disease, though crucial, does not take into account all of the complex factors involved in cancer. The current literature lends support to the argument that a broader, more integrative framework, which includes psychosocial factors, is needed.

Volunteerism after stillbirth has not been adequately explored despite recent advances in research on volunteering after trauma and the voluminous research on posttraumatic growth (PTG). Previous research on PTG, ''altruism born of suffering,'' and constructivist theories of grief, meaning, and social narrative provide applicable frameworks. Parents (N ¼ 191) in the present study were assessed for self-reported growth factors with the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) scale and gave narrative reports describing the importance of volunteering for them after their baby's death. Parents who volunteered after their baby's death self-reported significantly higher mean scores on the PGTI than parents who did not volunteer. Qualitative analysis with parents who volunteered only after their baby's death (n ¼ 39) discovered salient categories that confirm and connect theoretically similar explorations from prior research, and also illuminate new directions for research. Clinical implications and caveats are presented.

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