A new normal?: Women's experiences of biographical disruption and liminality following treatment for early stage breast cancer

Trusson, Diane; Pilnick, Alison; Roy, Srila

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.01.011

Cited by 103 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

101

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Cancer can often produce a transitionary process or sense of "liminality" in people's lives as they start adjusting to changes to their mind and body (Trusson, 2013). These changes can undermine the unity between the body and the self, bringing about identity changes and alterations to cancer patients' lives to accommodate for these bodily losses and to try to regain this unity (Charmaz, 1995).…”

Section: "Normality and Chronic Illness"mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Self-Management Practices as Mechanisms for Re-Establishing Normality in Cancer Survivors

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article explores the relationship between cancer survivors' use of self-management practices and their search for normality. Using Frank's illness narratives and other theoretical literature on normality in chronic illness, it draws on findings from a qualitative study to explore different ways cancer survivors use self-management practices to re-establish normality in their lives post-cancer. The findings suggest that "normality" represents different things to cancer survivors. We suggest that normality in survivorship is not a static concept but is fluid, and at certain times, cancer survivors may display some or all of these different versions of normality. The findings show that self-management practices can help cancer survivors experiment with different health and lifestyle processes to help support their "normal" daily lifestyle activities, quality of life, and well-being.

show abstract

Section: "Normality and Chronic Illness"mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Self-Management Practices as Mechanisms for Re-Establishing Normality in Cancer Survivors

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the wider study 8 , narrative analysis was used which entailed reading the transcripts numerous times to make connections between the emerging data and the existing literature. 22 Following discussion and agreement with the co-author to ensure reliability, themes were developed based on commonly reported experiences.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The findings are taken from a larger qualitative research project conducted in the UK which explored women's experiences of diagnosis and treatment for either early stage breast cancer (ESBC) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) 8 . DCIS (sometimes referred to as 'pre cancer') is a condition where some of the ducts of the breast have begun to turn into cancer cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However the experience has not been widely considered from a sociological perspective despite the 'importance of the body to social interaction' because 'other people respond to the [ill] person in terms of their 3 physicality' 4(p.252) . This study explored the impact of hair loss sociologically to add to the minimal literature that exists from this perspective.The findings are taken from a larger qualitative research project conducted in the UK which explored women's experiences of diagnosis and treatment for either early stage breast cancer (ESBC) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) 8 . DCIS (sometimes referred to as 'pre cancer') is a condition where some of the ducts of the breast have begun to turn into cancer cells.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Role of Hair Loss in Cancer Identity

2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background:The trauma of chemotherapy-induced alopecia is well documented.However, less is known about how the stereotypical cancer identity affects social interactions.Objective: The aim of this study is to explore women's experiences of hair loss resulting from breast cancer treatment, from a sociological perspective.Methods: Twenty-four women who had been treated for early-stage breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ were interviewed. References to hair (loss) were isolated from their narratives. Results:Findings confirm previous research that hair loss can be traumatic. The stigma attached to both having a cancer patient identity and nonconformity with norms of appearance means that women must decide how much to reveal and to whom. An unexpected finding was that distressing experiences were reported by some women who had not lost their hair. Conclusions:Hair is important to identity; therefore, there are implications for social interactions whether women decide to disguise their hair loss or not. There may also be implications for women who do not lose their hair because they fail to conform to the stereotypical appearance of the bald cancer patient. Future research should consider the role of stereotypes in patient experiences.Implications for Practice: Nurses should provide sufficient information and support to prepare patients for the impact on self-perception and social interactions when facing hair loss. Also, patients should be forewarned about the possible implications of not conforming to the cancer stereotype. In addition, greater education among the wider population about the possible side 2 effects of cancer treatments may prevent women feeling stigmatized while already undergoing a stressful experience. KEYWORDS:Alopecia; Breast cancer; DCIS; Hair loss; Identity; Stigma; Stereotypes IntroductionHair is an important indicator of identity. Hair forms our impression of a person, and can be fashioned to demonstrate religious beliefs or music preferences 1 . Hair is an important part of physical appearance, particularly for women, as it symbolizes health, femininity and attractiveness and influences body image and identity 2 . Consequently, hair loss as a result of chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer can have profound implications for women's mental health and social interactions 3 .Illness-related appearance changes can also change the way that the ill are perceived by other people 4 . In the case of cancer, this is perhaps most obvious when people suffer chemotherapyinduced alopecia. Not all chemotherapy drugs have the same side-effects but those used to treat breast cancer tend to result in total alopecia 5 . Despite the numerous unpleasant side-effects of chemotherapy including vomiting, nausea and tiredness, a previous study found that hair loss was reported to be the most traumatic aspect of the treatment by 46% of respondents 6 . The trauma of chemotherapy-induced alopecia has been well-documented in the psychological literature 7 . It is also a common topic in the medical literature as...

show abstract

“…This is seen for example in the post-diagnosis longevity of those now surviving various forms of cancer (Trusson et al 2016). Innovative cancer treatment has given rise to a public and professional discourse of survival as opposed to death, with a dominant view seeing survivorship as being an opportunity for individuals to strive to become something better than they were before diagnosis (Bell 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing embodied identity in a ‘new’ ageing population: A qualitative study of the pioneer cohort of childhood liver transplant recipients in the UK

Lowton

Hiley

Higgs

2017

Social Science & Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Medical innovations have created a future of survivorship for many groups of people with a variety of conditions that were previously untreatable or untreated. This has led not only to an expansion of medical activity in a whole variety of new areas but also to the emergence of new groups of individuals defined or defining themselves through their experiences, diagnosis and treatment. Through analysis of in-depth interviews with 27 of the now-adult survivors of the pioneer cohort of children receiving liver transplants in Britain in the early 1980s and 1990s, this paper presents how this group not only illustrate the capacities of modern medicine and healthcare to transform the survival prospects of a more diversified population, but also create new narratives of embodied identity. Specifically, we examine how childhood identities were shaped in three settings; home, hospital and school. At home, parents appeared to shape their child's identity through controlling tightly a daily medical regime focused on the concept of 'body as machine', celebrating their survival as a transplant recipient, yet at the same time socialising their child as a 'normal' child, albeit one who had a serious illness. The hospital appeared instrumental in shaping parents' focus on their child's body, and offered a way, through other patients with liver disease, for children to feel 'normal' in their difference. It was in school, through interaction with 'healthy' children and teachers, that corporeality and embodiment appeared most salient, and where social identity was negotiated and more often held in contention. Adult survivors of childhood liver transplant straddle the different discourses of normality and difference as their embodied experiences shape their narratives of identity and shed light on an underexplored aspect of the relationship between medicine and society.

show abstract

A new normal?: Women's experiences of biographical disruption and liminality following treatment for early stage breast cancer

Cited by 103 publications

References 21 publications

The Role of Self-Management Practices as Mechanisms for Re-Establishing Normality in Cancer Survivors

The Role of Self-Management Practices as Mechanisms for Re-Establishing Normality in Cancer Survivors

The Role of Hair Loss in Cancer Identity

Constructing embodied identity in a ‘new’ ageing population: A qualitative study of the pioneer cohort of childhood liver transplant recipients in the UK

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About