Psychological Influences of Individuals with Cancer in Remission

We conducted a qualitative research study, interviewing 25 cancer survivors regarding their personal constructs of coping and adjustment of having cancer in remission. Two themes emerged from the data. One was that participants spoke of desires to engage each day with a carpe diem attitude. They sha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPsychological studies Vol. 59; no. 3; pp. 289 - 298
Main Authors Firmin, Michael W., Pathammavong, Megan Bailey, Johnson, Courtney B., Trudel, Janna Foster
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published India Springer India 01.09.2014
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Breast cancer
General Psychology
Infertility
Insomnia
Interviews
Medical diagnosis
Melanoma
Personality and Social Psychology
Psychology
Qualitative research
Remission (Medicine)
Research in Progress
Social support
Support groups
Young adults
United States > US
Qualitative research
Behavioral health
Survivorship
Cancer
Quality of life
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:We conducted a qualitative research study, interviewing 25 cancer survivors regarding their personal constructs of coping and adjustment of having cancer in remission. Two themes emerged from the data. One was that participants spoke of desires to engage each day with a carpe diem attitude. They shared numerous accounts of how life’s brevity became an experienced reality for them, and they wished to capitalize on what life offered daily. Second, the cancer survivors related deliberate alterations of their daily habits. Health became a more paramount concern for these individuals; and eating habits, sun exposure, exercise, and other similar measures were infused into new daily routines. We relate the findings to the broader psychological literature regarding coping, handling anxiety, and integrating physical and psychological health.
ISSN:0033-2968
0974-9861
DOI:10.1007/s12646-014-0251-0