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Baglia J. The Ontology of Oncology: Navigating Cyborgs and Assemblages Through Cancer Treatment. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023; 38:2592-2603. [PMID: 35757997 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2022.2093554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Through narrative, the subjective experience of illness offers a corrective to biomedicine's interpretive grip. Narrative is both process and product and illness narratives, in particular, are examples of embodied research. This ecopathography - drawing upon embodied experiences of treatment and recovery from late stage Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - enlists Haraway's cyborg and Lupton's digital assemblage in an effort to make broader claims about patient care in the United States, and specifically, the role of technology in healthcare and in the construction of patient identity. A surgically implanted port (facilitating blood draws and the delivery of chemotherapy) and the patient portal (representing the results of those blood draws as well as a medium for communication) provide a foundation for how cyborgian assemblages both assist and trouble the cancer experience. At stake is the fluidity and ambiguity of boundaries (human/machine, human/animal, and physical/virtual) and the management of those boundaries with regard to patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Baglia
- College of Communication, DePaul University
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2
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Rovito MJ, Allen KK, Perez AG, Albaladejo F, Craycraft M. Humor-Based Messaging in Testicular Cancer Awareness Campaigns: A Comparative Critical Review. Am J Mens Health 2023; 17:15579883231215343. [PMID: 38044499 PMCID: PMC10697052 DOI: 10.1177/15579883231215343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive research showcases the extent and efficacy of humor-based messaging in general health promotion. However, the work describing humor's use within testicular cancer (TC) awareness is less developed. The aim of this comparative critical review was to determine the impact of using humor-based messaging in TC awareness campaigns to achieve a baseline assessment from which future research can be modeled. A literature search was conducted using seven databases to locate relevant literature. Three research questions guided this investigation: (1) To what extent has humor been used in TC awareness campaigns? (2) What does the literature reveal about the use of humor-based messaging on relevant health outcomes? (3) What are the limitations within current TC awareness strategies? Six studies were included in the review, of which three directly assessed the use of humor in TC awareness vis-à-vis intervention designs. Humor-based strategies were implemented to enhance knowledge of TC and testicular self-examination (TSE) procedures, reduce anxiety surrounding detection threat, and promote TSE. The rhetoric provided to men via various health interventions relied on humor and slang to promote TSE among males. Despite the small sample size of the included studies, this review determined that humor may be useful in reducing uncomfortable feelings surrounding TSE, increasing awareness of TC, and promoting TSE. When using humor-based messaging, however, the audience and type of humor implemented must be considered. Limited research exists assessing the long-term impact humor in TC promotion on health behavioral changes, easing anxieties related to detection, and increased self-efficacy surrounding TSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Rovito
- College of Health Professions and Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
- Testicular Cancer Research Collaborative, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Keri K. Allen
- Testicular Cancer Research Collaborative, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Andres G. Perez
- Testicular Cancer Research Collaborative, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Freddy Albaladejo
- Testicular Cancer Research Collaborative, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
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3
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Crawford RP. Communicating Through and Around Trauma: Understanding the Limitations to Narrative and Resilience. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023:1-10. [PMID: 37853669 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2268886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
In this autoethnographic account of my experiences as a parent who discovers and attempts to respond to the abuse of her child, I highlight the ways trauma can remove access to storytelling as a sensemaking and healing tool in a crisis. I narrate how I experienced secondary trauma as a meaning-making black hole that blocked language's healing capacities, blinded me to important sensemaking turning points, and hampered my and my child's ability to ask for help. These experiences caused me to question many foundational assumptions I made as a health communication scholar and to see an interdisciplinary bias toward narrative resiliency. Narrating the inhibiting effects trauma has on emplotment, help-seeking, and meaning-making points to the uniquely communicative nature of trauma which enables narrative theory and health communication research to make strong theoretical contributions to better understand trauma and support appropriate trauma-informed practices.
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Mudaranthakam DP, Hughes D, Johnson P, Mason T, Nollen N, Wick J, Welch DR, Calhoun E. Career disruption and limitation of financial earnings due to cancer. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2023; 7:pkad044. [PMID: 37326961 PMCID: PMC10359624 DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkad044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study investigated how cancer diagnosis and treatment lead to career disruption and, consequently, loss of income and depletion of savings. DESIGN This study followed a qualitative descriptive design that allowed us to understand the characteristics and trends of the participants. METHOD Patients recruited (n = 20) for this study were part of the University of Kansas Cancer Center patient advocacy research group (Patient and Investigator Voices Organizing Together). The inclusion criteria were that participants must be cancer survivors or co-survivors, be aged 18 years or older, be either employed or a student at the time of cancer diagnosis, have completed their cancer treatment, and be in remission. The responses were transcribed and coded inductively to identify themes. A thematic network was constructed based on those themes, allowing us to explore and describe the intricacies of the various themes and their impacts. RESULTS Most patients had to quit their jobs or take extended absences from work to handle treatment challenges. Patients employed by the same employer for longer durations had the most flexibility to balance their time between cancer treatment and work. Essential, actionable items suggested by the cancer survivors included disseminating information about coping with financial burdens and ensuring that a nurse and financial navigator were assigned to every cancer patient. CONCLUSIONS Career disruption is common among cancer patients, and the financial burden due to their career trajectory is irreparable. The financial burden is more prominent in younger cancer patients and creates a cascading effect that financially affects close family members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Pal Mudaranthakam
- Department of Biostatistics & Data Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Dorothy Hughes
- Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Peggy Johnson
- Patient and Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT), University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Tracy Mason
- Patient and Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT), University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Nicole Nollen
- Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Jo Wick
- Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Danny R Welch
- University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Elizabeth Calhoun
- Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- Population Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Bootsma TI, Schellekens MPJ, van Woezik RAM, van der Lee ML, Slatman J. Navigating severe chronic cancer-related fatigue: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Psychol Health 2023; 38:494-517. [PMID: 34474619 DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2021.1973468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This article presents a phenomenological study on the embodied experiences of patients with Chronic Cancer-Related Fatigue (CCRF), aiming to better understand this complex phenomenon. DESIGN Data collection consisted of individual interviews with 25 participants who suffered from severe CCRF for at least three months after cancer treatment was finished. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Against the theoretical background of philosophical phenomenology, we explored embodied experiences, incorporated temporal and spatial aspects of living with CCRF. We applied interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to analyze the transcripts of the interviews. RESULTS Using IPA, we identified four themes on how chronic fatigue is experienced post-cancer: (1) Worn out; (2) Diminishment of one's 'I can'; (3) Invisibility; and (4) Regaining one's 'I can'. CONCLUSION For clinical practice, these results imply that professionals could focus more on the role of the body and limitations of one's 'I can' when treating CCRF. By studying these embodied CCRF experiences in individual patients, future research could help personalize and optimize treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom I Bootsma
- Center for Psycho-Oncology, Scientific Research Department, Helen Dowling Institute, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.,School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Department of Culture Studies, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Melanie P J Schellekens
- Center for Psycho-Oncology, Scientific Research Department, Helen Dowling Institute, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.,School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology and Center of Research on Psychological disorders and Somatic diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Rosalie A M van Woezik
- Center for Psycho-Oncology, Scientific Research Department, Helen Dowling Institute, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marije L van der Lee
- Center for Psycho-Oncology, Scientific Research Department, Helen Dowling Institute, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.,School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology and Center of Research on Psychological disorders and Somatic diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Jenny Slatman
- School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Department of Culture Studies, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
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Mesa Freydell N, Martínez Pérez A, Schneider Fontán J. Thematic analysis of illness narratives as an example of an approach to better understand the lived experience of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Spain. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e060935. [PMID: 36192105 PMCID: PMC9535194 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-060935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the lived experience of women diagnosed with breast cancer through the analysis of illness narratives, as an example of a narrative-based medicine approach. SETTING Spain. PARTICIPANTS Nine narratives stemming from non-fiction books, and six from interviews through online platforms. All participants were cis women and their ages ranged between 34 and 60 years. The inclusion criteria were being a woman and having been diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer in Spain. RESULTS The main topics that appeared on the analysis were: secondary effects of treatment, breast loss and scars, breast reconstruction, long-term effect of treatment, positive attitude, illness as learning and use of language. Although the results of this research are preliminary, it can be said that societal expectations quickly became a burden for the patients. Moreover, there was no common behavioural pattern among the participants and how they chose to manage their cancer journey. Choosing whether or not to hide their baldness, go through reconstructive surgery or fulfil the 'patient role' were options they wanted to review based on their own priorities, and not because of external impositions. Even though the women agreed with the benefits of having a positive attitude, they also asked for space to feel rage and sadness, not to be compared with others and to be heard with no haste, as well as to be accompanied beyond the treatment, and for their long-term effects of medications to be validated. The importance of the type of comments and language used is emphasised. CONCLUSION A narrative-based medicine approach enables us to incorporate the patient experience into the understanding of breast cancer. We encourage clinicians to be aware of the concepts of normality held by women, and to welcome different choices and different ways to experience illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Mesa Freydell
- Escuela Internacional de doctorado. Facultad de Ciencias de la salud, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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Werner-Lin A, Forbes Shepherd R, Young JL, Wilsnack C, Merrill SL, Greene MH, Khincha PP. Embodied risk for families with Li-Fraumeni syndrome: Like electricity through my body. Soc Sci Med 2022; 301:114905. [PMID: 35367908 PMCID: PMC9237847 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Experiences of illness change the physical body and embodiments, or the ways in which the world and the self are known through the body. When illness is anticipated, such as with inherited cancer predisposition syndromes, risk becomes embodied and shared in family groups. Embodied risk is experienced whether or not symptoms have manifested. To examine how individuals and families with genetic risk experience the world and understand their disease through their bodies, we employ Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) as an exemplar. LFS is a rare, genetic, cancer predisposition syndrome with nearly 100% lifetime cancer risk starting from birth, limited opportunities for prevention, rigorous screening protocols, and early mortality. METHODS Forty-five families, including 117 individuals aged 13-81 years, enrolled in the National Cancer Insitute's LFS study (NCT01443468) completed 66 open-ended interviews regarding LFS experiences. An interdisciplinary team used modified grounded theory to explore physical aspects of living with LFS in psychosocial contexts. FINDINGS The physicality of living with LFS included constant monitoring of LFS bodies across the family to identify physical change that might indicate carcinogenesis. Cancer screening, risk reduction, and treatment acted as dually protective and invasive, and as an unavoidable features of LFS. Connections between family members with similar embodiments normalized aesthetic changes and supported coping with visible markers of difference. In some circumstances, participants objectified the body to preserve the self and important relationships. In others, intense pain or loss created thresholds beyond which the self could no longer be separated from the body to support coping. DISCUSSION This paper focuses on Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a familial condition with a well-established genetic identity in which the body-self is experienced in relation to important others, to medical imaging, and to historical experiences with cancer. We expand on theories of embodied risk and inter-embodiment to describe experiences across disease trajectories, with attention to division and union between body, self, and other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Werner-Lin
- School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA.
| | - Rowan Forbes Shepherd
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Jennifer L Young
- Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Wilsnack
- Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Shana L Merrill
- School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mark H Greene
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Payal P Khincha
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
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Ueland V, Dysvik E, Hemberg J, Furnes B. Cancer survivorship: existential suffering. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2021; 16:2001897. [PMID: 34775931 PMCID: PMC8592584 DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2021.2001897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to explore and describe existential experiences after cancer treatment. Method An exploratory phenomenological hermeneutical design was used following in-depth interviews with 21 people. Results The study revealed experiences of multifaceted suffering in the form of limitations in everyday life, inner struggles, and bearing the burden alone. Conclusions Existential suffering after cancer treatment was revealed as like being in a process of transition, in an intermediate state, as moving between suffering and enduring, and alternating between alienworld and homeworld. A new and broader professional perspective is needed to establish rehabilitation services based on multifaceted experiences of suffering. This means a shift in focus from biomedical symptoms towards understanding of existential meaning for the person.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venke Ueland
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Elin Dysvik
- Emerita Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Jessica Hemberg
- Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland
| | - Bodil Furnes
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
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Willer EK. Running-In(to) Transition: Embodied Practice under the Load of Infertility, Baby Loss, and Motherhood. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2021; 36:1176-1187. [PMID: 32312083 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1748830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Running is an embodied feminist practice that both shapes and reflects who women are. The field of tribology includes the science and technology of how surfaces interact in relative motion to one another, as well as how the "running-in" of these planes under load contributes to a "steady state" or balance. In this essay I employ embodiment and the tribology frameworks of running-in and steady state in order to explore meanings that emerge over a year-and-a half-long period as I engage two surfaces - my body and running - under the load of infertility, miscarriage, neonatal loss, motherhood, and transitioning into being 40-years-old. I use embodied and autoethnographic methodologies, including running, writing, and poetic inquiry in order to explore meanings born from this running-in process. In doing so, I bring to bear sociocultural challenges women experiences with infertility and perinatal loss, healthcare, and mothering that lead to an (un)steady state. I theorize this state as a space of freedom, the embodiment of health as I learn to craft a new normal and live well despite inescapable trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin K Willer
- Department of Communication Studies, University of Denver
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When Cancer Is the Self: An Interpretive Description of the Experience of Identity by Hematology Cancer Patients. Cancer Nurs 2021; 45:E504-E513. [PMID: 34352803 PMCID: PMC8849130 DOI: 10.1097/ncc.0000000000000984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The term "cancer" is imbued with identity signals that trigger certain assumed sociocultural responses. Clinical practice with hematological cancer patients suggests the experience of these patients may be different than that of solid tumor cancer patients. OBJECTIVE We sought to explore the research question: How are identity experiences described and elucidated by adult hematological cancer patients? METHODS This qualitative study was guided by interpretive description as the methodological framework. RESULTS Preexisting identity labels and assumptions assigned to the overarching "cancer" diagnosis were viewed by patients as entirely inadequate to fully describe and inform their experience. Instead, findings revealed the propensity of adult hematology oncology patients to co-create and enact new identities increasingly reflective of the nonlocalized nature of their cancer subtype. Three themes that arose from the data included the unique cancer-self, the invasion of cancer opposed to self, and the personification of the cancer within self. CONCLUSIONS Hematology oncology patients experience and claim a postdiagnosis identity that is self-described as distinct and highly specialized, and are distinct to solid tumor patients in aspects of systemic and total consumption of the self. This uniqueness is extended to the specific hematological cancer subtype down to genetics, indicating a strong "new" sense of self. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The manner in which hematology oncology patients in this study embraced notions of transformed self and isolating uniqueness provides practitioners with a lens through which new and innovative interventions can be constructed to improve patient care and psychosocial outcomes.
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Ueland V, Rørtveit K, Dysvik E, Furnes B. Life after cancer treatment - existential experiences of longing. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2020; 15:1838041. [PMID: 33112718 PMCID: PMC7599008 DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2020.1838041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: The study aimed to gain insight into existential longing as experienced by people treated for cancer. Method: An exploratory phenomenological–hermeneutical design was used, and data were collected through in-depth interviews with 21 people recruited from a cancer organization. Results: Three themes emerged: longing to be oneself, longing for relief from suffering, and longing for rootedness. The theoretical understanding of well-being developed by Todres and Galvin was used to illuminate how the life-fulfilling power of longing is inherent in dwelling–mobility. Conclusions: During the theoretical interpretation and discussion of these findings, a new analytic step revealed a state of uncertainty that can influence longing. The findings of this study may help fill the gap in the current health-care approach to cancer survivors by highlighting the importance of a new professional perspective of listening to patients describe their existential burden. Such an approach may create greater clarity and thereby allow longing to flow more freely towards future possibilities and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venke Ueland
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger , Stavanger, Norway
| | - Kristine Rørtveit
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger , Stavanger, Norway.,Researcher of Psychiatric Nursing at Department of Research, Stavanger University Hospital , Stavanger, Norway
| | - Elin Dysvik
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger , Stavanger, Norway
| | - Bodil Furnes
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger , Stavanger, Norway
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Ueland V, Dysvik E, Rørtveit K, Furnes B. Homeworld/Alienworld: a qualitative study about existential experiences after cancer treatment. Scand J Caring Sci 2020; 35:701-709. [PMID: 32808312 DOI: 10.1111/scs.12902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a group, cancer survivors experience significant vulnerability and existential challenges. The biomedical approach dominating health care is insufficient to meet such existential challenges in an individualistic, holistic way. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the existential experiences of those treated for different cancers. METHODS An exploratory phenomenological-hermeneutical design was used to obtain an understanding of existential experiences after cancer treatment. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 21 individuals who represented a purposive sample and were recruited from a cancer organisation. RESULTS Three overriding themes emerged from the phenomenological-hermeneutical analysis are as follows: Experiencing an unfamiliar tiredness; Experiencing not being fully oneself; and Experiencing a feeling of being alone. CONCLUSIONS Existential suffering after cancer treatment involves living on the edge of the old homeworld and the experience of a new alienworld. Individuals undergoing such suffering need a transformational process, from the alienworld to the homeworld, which must be supported by the healthcare system. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE To facilitate the transformational process, healthcare professionals should communicate with patients throughout their cancer journey about how their existential experiences have been integrated into their lifeworld, allowing them to tell their own story from the perspective of lifeworld brokenness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venke Ueland
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Elin Dysvik
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Kristine Rørtveit
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.,Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Bodil Furnes
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
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