Abstract
BackgroundBreast cancer is a common tumor in China and has become a public health problem in modern society. Stress plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of cancer. At present, the current situation of stress on breast cancer survivors (BCSs) in China has not been fully understood. This study aims to explore the stress and coping strategies of Chinese BCSs, which provide suggestions to help BCSs reduce stress.MethodsSixty-three BCSs from the Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club in China were included in this study and were divided into eight focus groups. These were transcribed verbatim, coded using thematic analysis and analyzed using NVivo 11.ResultsThree themes were extracted from the data to address our research objectives: stress, coping strategies and expectations. The stress of BCSs included psychological stress, stress caused by physical pain, economic stress, stress caused by the change of life status, and stress caused by information overload; the coping strategies included self-strategies and help from others; from the perspective of the survivors, they put forward their expectations for both the society and themselves.ConclusionsThis study shows that BCSs face a variety of stress. In the face of stress, BCSs need comprehensive support, including social and family support to cope with stressors. The findings from this study provide evidence for improving the quality of life among BCSs.
Highlights
Breast cancer is a common tumor in China and has become a public health problem in modern society
This study aims to explore the experiences of Chinese breast cancer survivors (BCSs) living with breast cancer as well as coping strategies during cancer diagnosis and treatment, and to provide suggestions in helping BCSs reduce stress and improve their quality of life
Thematic analysis After coding and summarizing the interviews, three themes and 9 subthemes were extracted: (1) stress: psychological stress, physical pain, economic stress, stress caused by changes in the life status and the stress of information overload; (2) coping strategies: measures taken by the survivors themselves; and external help received by the survivors; (3) expectations: expectations for the society and expectations for themselves
Summary
Breast cancer is a common tumor in China and has become a public health problem in modern society. The current situation of stress on breast cancer survivors (BCSs) in China has not been fully understood. The majority of breast cancer cases occur in women aged 35–70 years, and the incidence rates are increasing [1]. By 2021, the incidence of breast cancer in China is expected to rise from less than 60 cases per 100,000 women aged 55–69 years to more than 100 cases per 100,000 women [2]. BCSs are vulnerable to a variety of stress due to the consequences of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Fear of recurrence, financial burden of cancer treatment and perceived discrimination in the social participation and employment can place great stress on BCSs [6]. When BCSs attempt emotional disclosures, they may perceive themselves to be misunderstood, denied, or alienated by their social partners, or even their family members
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