Existential Issues and Coping: A Qualitative Study of Breast Cancer Women

Abstract

Breast cancer was supposed to induce existential issues among women. The study's major aims were to examine breast cancer patients' existential issues and coping mechanisms. The author conducted the interviews using an existential approach to capture the extent to which breast cancer women encountered existential issues. Sample was collected via purposive sampling. In Punjab, Pakistan interviews were conducted with documented breast cancer ladies. The researcher looked at numerous themes that emerged from interviews with ten women with breast cancer, all of whom were under support from the government at the time of the interview. This research was qualitative. Death anxiety, loss of control, meaninglessness, loneliness, freedom of choice, helplessness, and hopelessness were some of the existential challenges identified by reflective thematic analysis of the interview data from women living with breast cancer. And applied a lot of coping strategies against these existential issues like religiosity, sense of spirituality, improved family bounding, rescuer defense, anxiety defense mechanisms (denial, suppression, projection), distancing herself, reinterpreting the event, enhanced self-esteem, reframing the situation, sharing their experience with others, finding reasons to be hopeful, realization, reevaluation, believe on fate, acceptance, universalize the predicament, meaningful activities, counseling session helped them against existential issues.