Unmet Needs for Job Maintenance of Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Purpose: To develop and apply an integrative model for breast cancer survivors’ return to work, survivors’ unsatisfied demands for job maintenance were identified.Methods: This study was a qualitative research that used a focus group to investigate breast cancer survivors’ unsatisfied demands for job maintenance. Data collection was conducted four times from February to October 2019 with six participants.Results: The study showed that the six participants identified the following unsatisfied demands for breast cancer survivors who returned to work: the individual’s physical and psychological condition, attitudes and support from family, work-related characteristics, the healthcare system, and social (political) issues. Thirteen sub-topics were identified.Conclusion: This study provided necessary data to prepare a strategy for breast cancer survivors to return to work and proposed to develop an integrative model and a professional training program in further research.

Factors associated with distress among female cancer survivors at the workplace: A cross-sectional study

“…Conversely, religious well‐being is distinguished as well‐being based on religion, such as a relationship with God and religious coping 24 . A previous study reported that high spiritual well‐being generally contributed to the maintenance of physical and mental health, as well as functional status of female cancer survivors 6,23,25 . To our knowledge, there are few studies in South Korea to investigate the factors that influenced distress in working female cancer survivors 6,16,20 .…”

“…Due to this high survival rate, female cancer survivors require long‐term management to improve their quality of life because they also have a higher incidence of post‐traumatic stress following cancer diagnoses than men, along with increased levels of anxiety regarding recurrences with longer survival periods 3–5 . Therefore, to manage the long‐term quality of life, economic stability is necessary and personal, societal awareness, and interest regarding cancer survivors' return to work have been rising 6,7 . Distress is one of the major factors affecting the quality of life of female cancer survivors, with 42.1% of cancer survivors experiencing distress related to cancer diagnosis and treatments in South Korea, which is higher than in the United States and Canada 8 .…”

“…Therefore, understanding the characteristics of fatigue among working female cancer survivors and identifying the relationship between fatigue and distress is essential for the management of their distress 12 . The lack of awareness of cancer and emotional support from supervisors and colleagues at work poses physical and emotional challenges, which then affect job turnover 6,14,15 . Specifically, experiences of social support, such as interest, trust, encouragement, and provision of information by supervisors and colleagues, can help decrease symptoms of distress, such as depression and anxiety 21 .…”

“…Specifically, experiences of social support, such as interest, trust, encouragement, and provision of information by supervisors and colleagues, can help decrease symptoms of distress, such as depression and anxiety 21 . Furthermore, it can contribute to female cancer survivors' successful workplace re‐adaptation and job retention 6,20,22 . Since cancer has a continuous influence throughout life, cancer survivors go through a high‐distress crisis situation and become interested in existential and spiritual problems 23 .…”

“…A previous study reported that high spiritual well‐being generally contributed to the maintenance of physical and mental health, as well as functional status of female cancer survivors 6,23,25 . To our knowledge, there are few studies in South Korea to investigate the factors that influenced distress in working female cancer survivors 6,16,20 . Furthermore, most distress studies have focused on the breast cancer 6,10–12 and dealt with distress‐related variables in fragments, such as emotional challenges (i.e., mood, depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc.…”