Work adjustment of cancer survivors: An organisational support framework

• Published in: SA Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. e1 - e10
• Main Authors: Clur, Loraine, Barnard, Antoni, Joubert, Yvonne T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Auckland Park African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS 2017; AOSIS (Pty) Ltd; AOSIS
• Subjects: Adjustment; Analysis; Cancer; cancer employee; cancer survivor; Cancer survivors; Cancer therapies; Cancer treatment; Careers; Coping; Emotions; Employees; Employers; Employment; Job satisfaction; Meaning; Medical diagnosis; Medical screening; Motivation; Occupational psychology; Occupational training; Oncology; Phenomenology; Productivity; Psychology; Return to work; RTW; Sampling; Self-actualization; Survivor; Theory; Vocational rehabilitation; work adjustment; Work environment; Work experience
• ISSN: 0258-5200; 2071-0763
• DOI: 10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1468

Orientation The purpose of the study was to explore cancer survivors' return to work experience in order to explicate organisational support needed to facilitate their successful work adjustment. Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology formed the methodological foundation to the study. Purposive sampling was used to select eight participants from an oncology unit and cancer support organisation in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo regions. Participants, diagnosed with various types of cancer, were regarded as cancer survivors as they completed treatment and have returned to work. Data were collected using unstructured interviews and analysed through thematic analysis based on Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenological theory of interpretation. Practical and managerial implications