Stress, coping strategies and expectations among breast cancer survivors in China: a qualitative study

BMC Psychology

Chun-Hai Shao¹  Wan-Li Chen²  Jin-Ming Yu²  Jing-Ya Wang²  Ji-Wei Wang²  Jie Zhao²  Ruo-Yu Hu³  Xiao-Min Wei⁴ 

[1] Department of Nutrition, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China;Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment of National Health Commission, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China;Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment of National Health Commission, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China;Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA;Shanghai Health Promotion Center, Shanghai, China;

关键词: Breast cancer;    Stress;    Coping strategies;    Qualitative research;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40359-021-00515-8

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

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.

【 授权许可】

CC BY