Doing, being, becoming, and belonging: Experiences transitioning from bowel cancer patient to survivor

Abstract

Transitions are a normal part of life, affecting people's identity and life course. Evidence supports the idea that there is a significant occupational impact on people who experience sudden and unexpected transitions associated with life threatening illness. This interpretive description study explored the occupational impact of transitioning from bowel cancer patient to survivor for individuals living in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 individuals who had completed treatment for bowel cancer. Data were thematically analysed and three key themes identified: I had to heal myself, Life's too short, and The person I've become. Themes are discussed in relation to the occupational concepts of doing, being, becoming, and belonging; with the finding of becoming something not entirely welcome, not previously reported in the occupational science literature. Further research is needed to ascertain whether an unexpected change in identity is a feature of occupational transitions amongst alternative population groups.

The occupational impact of bowel cancer: Survivors' voices and advancing the role of occupational therapy assessment and intervention

“…As the aim of the study was to generate information to inform practice across the diverse occupational impacts of having had bowel cancer, differences related to gender, age and other demographic characteristics were not analysed. Additional findings are reported elsewhere (Martin et al, 2020a). Participant pseudonyms are used throughout the findings.…”

“…The interview guide included questions such as ‘Have you done things – or plan to do things – you wouldn't have done before diagnosis?’ and ‘Do you think the ongoing effects have affected your relationships? In what ways?’ The full script has been included in a previous publication related to this research (Martin et al, 2020a). Before each interview, the first author reminded participants of her experiences with bowel cancer to help reduce any power imbalance and encourage open discussion (Dwyer & Buckle, 2009).…”

“…In what ways?' The full script has been included in a previous publication related to this research (Martin et al, 2020a). Before each interview, the first author reminded participants of her experiences with bowel cancer to help reduce any power imbalance and encourage open discussion (Dwyer & Buckle, 2009).…”

“…Bowel cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer worldwide (Arnold et al, 2017) and recent improvements to survival rate have resulted in it being considered a chronic rather than acute condition (Grimmett et al, 2017). Many bowel cancer survivors experience ongoing impacts in multiple areas including psychological (Martin et al, 2020b), cognitive (Martin et al, 2020a), social, physical (Breedveld‐Peters et al, 2020), sexual (Martin et al, 2020b), self‐care, employment, and role functioning (Beesley et al, 2017; Martin et al, 2020b).…”

“…Necessary and meaningful occupations are fundamental to the creation and maintenance of health, well-being and quality of life (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015). These benefits are attenuated and stress increased when occupational choice is limited and participation restricted, as after bowel cancer treatment (Martin et al, 2020a). Bowel cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer worldwide (Arnold et al, 2017) and recent improvements to survival rate have resulted in it being considered a chronic rather than acute condition (Grimmett et al, 2017).…”