Abstract
To describe the experience of family care to women with breast cancer during treatment from the perspective of caregivers in the Mexican context. Qualitative phenomenological study. In-depth interviews were conducted with caregivers of women who survived breast cancer. Participants were selected by intentional, cumulative and sequential sampling. A conventional content analysis was performed. Participation of seven caregivers, who reported their positive and negative experiences when assuming their role as informal caregivers in the family context. On the strength of the reciprocity of care and its reward, prevailed critical moments, negative feelings, and lack of support resources during the experience. This enables the understanding of the informal care bond in order to enhance it with coping strategies and specific guidance from the nursing staff. Participants experienced a transformation in their identity as caregivers and by being aware of their experience, they could describe their qualities, which increased their coping strategies with the disease and the care challenges.
Highlights
The objective of this study is to describe the experience of family care of women with breast cancer during treatment from the perspective of caregivers in the Mexican context
The study was conducted with family caregivers of female breast cancer survivors who had been diagnosed in a period of more than six months and less than five years
The breast cancer stage most frequently diagnosed was stage II (n=4), followed by stage I (n=2) and stage III (n=1), and the time elapsed after diagnosis was of six months (n=1), two years (n=2), three years (n=2) and five years (n=2)
Summary
In Mexico as in other countries, the family is the main context of development of the human being, and its members provide care to those in need in order to ensure their well-being[1]. Care for members in vulnerable conditions is based on common sense and personal experience. People exercising this role do not receive financial compensation, and distinguish from other family members for being the primary caregiver, mainly because of their affective and consanguineous ties. This role is commonly played by the female gender with a direct parental relationship, by mothers or daughters[2-3]. The diagnosis has great impact on people affected and their family, because women are the axis of family organization and play different roles, such as wife, mother, provider and caregiver[3]. When the caregiver par excellence in the family needs to be taken care of, the family dynamics is altered in an important way
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