Everything Is More Critical: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Young Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis at a young age has the potential to affect survivors' worldview and raise existential concerns. This qualitative study of 13 women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40 examined how they made meaning of the impact of their cancer experience. Implementing the consensual qualitative research methodology, the authors found themes related to challenges; coping strategies; reappraisal of self, relationships with others, and life roles; and changes in views and behaviors. These findings suggest the utility of existential counseling for young breast cancer survivors' adjustment posttreatment as they attempt to cultivate a sense of control.

Experiences of positive career change among female breast cancer survivors: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

“…This study is the first, to our knowledge, that has specifically explored the experiences of women who have made a positive career change as a result of their breast cancer. Some of the findings resonate with previous literature which highlights the positive growth and renewed sense of self, that cancer or chronic illness can bring (for example, Beatty, 2012;Raque-Bogdan et al, 2018), but this study adds to the existing literature showing how this personal growth can manifest itself in a career change. Specifically, the findings show how the women's experiences of cancer led to a sharply focused sense of self which gave them clarity about their new career goals, and a renewed sense of agency which enabled them to put their career plans into action.…”

“…The existing literature on cancer survivors suggests that these career development models may have some relevance to the present study. Research has shown that survivors' experiences of cancer can lead to boundaries being shed as survivors wonder why it has taken the trauma of their cancer diagnosis to engage with their lifelong goals (Raque-Bogdan et al, 2015), and can lead to more meaningful life choices (Raque-Bogdan et al, 2018).…”

“…Rowland (2008, p. 364) talks of a metaphorical "silver-lining" for cancer survivors, referring to "benefit finding" and "post-traumatic growth," whereby "the confrontation with cancer can result in an increased sense of mastery and self-esteem, an opportunity to review priorities, and an enhanced or deepened appreciation of life." Studies exploring post-traumatic growth specifically with breast cancer survivors have found that meaning making had a profound impact on their sense of self and their life roles (Raque-Bogdan et al, 2018), and that it is positively correlated with survivors' perceptions of tangible and emotional support, appreciation of life (Cordova, Cunningham, Carlson & Andrykowski, 2001), life satisfaction, personal strength (Mols, Vingerhoets, Coebergh & van de Poll-Franse, 2009), seeking of social support, positive reappraisal, religious coping (Shand et al, 2015), and clarity in values and meaning of life (Barden, Gutierrez, Gonzalez & Ali, 2016).…”

Post-traumatic growth after cancer: a scoping review of qualitative research

“…Of the 28 studies , five aimed to explore both positive and negative experiences [28,32,41,49,54] and 15 were focused only on positive experiences, either framed in terms of PTG or positive constructs such as meaning-making [30, 33-38, 43, 45-48, 51, 53, 55]. In six studies, the stated aim was broader (e.g., the original research question had a focus on areas such as adjustment or lasting life changes after cancer) but results were reported with a focus on the positive changes found [29,31,39,42,44,52]. Two studies had very specific aims -exploring differences between people with cancer and their spouses in terms of growth [40] and an examination of growth in relation to other constructs, such as lifestyle changes [50].…”

Meaning Making for Psychological Adjustment and Quality of Life in Older Long-Term Breast Cancer Survivors

“…Furthermore, the majority of previous studies of meaning making among breast cancer survivors are quantitative studies based on questionnaire data (e.g., Sears et al, 2003;Majerníková and Obročníková, 2017;Krok and Telka, 2018). Although studies taking the interpretative phenomenological perspective on meaning making in the population of breast cancer survivors exist, most include data from both young and older survivors (Gall and Cornblat, 2002;Collie et al, 2006;Fallah et al, 2012;Raque-Bogdan et al, 2018;Rashidi et al, 2020). Keeping in mind the increased rate of older cancer survivors in the future, there is a lack of qualitative studies focusing on meaning making in the group of older breast cancer survivors.…”