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Coping experiences of women in the different phases of breast cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

To understand the evolution of coping among women diagnosed with breast cancer over time, and the effect of age and family income on coping.

Method

Using a phenomenological qualitative study, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with sixteen women in a hospital in Barcelona (Spain) between January 2018 and June 2019. An analysis of thematic content and discursive profile was carried out, assisted by the Nvivo v.12 program.

Results

Coping strategies change according to the meaning of breast cancer in each phase and the age and family income. In the acute phase, multiple coping strategies are identified, and this variety was more frequent among the young women in the study. In the extended phase, planning, distancing, and seeking social support become important. The latter used during treatment by older women in the study, regardless of family income. In the follow-up phase, distancing stands out, but also the search for social support among young women with fewer resources.

Conclusions

Coping with breast cancer evolves according to the meaning that the disease receives in each phase. In addition, the analysis by discursive profile shows how the social support context is also related to the coping strategies in each phase.

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Data availability

The study database and the full results of the analysis can be consulted through the corresponding author.

Code availability

N/A

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all the women who participated in our study and Carmen Trigueros and Enrique Rivera for their methodological contributions. Ms. Elena Torralba Martinez is a PhD candidate in Methodology of Biomedical Research and Public Health Program, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Av. de Can Domènech 737, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

    Elena Torralba-Martínez

  2. Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health-Iberoamerican Cochrane Center, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Carrer Sant Antoni Ma Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    María Jesús Quintana

  3. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08041, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    María Jesús Quintana

  4. Unidad de Patología Mamaria, Hospital de La Santa Creu I Sant Pau, Carrer Sant Quintí 89, 08041, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Magda Ciendones Carbonell

  5. Independent Clinical Psycho-Oncology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Séneca, 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Elena de las Sias

  6. Department of Social Work, Universidad de Concepción, Victor Lamas, 1290, Concepción, Chile

    Cristian Pablo Segura Carrillo

  7. Escola Universitària d’Infermeria i Teràpia Ocupacional de Terrassa (EUIT), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ de la Riba 90, 08221, Terrassa, Catalonia, Spain

    Núria Codern-Bové

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  1. Elena Torralba-Martínez
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  3. Magda Ciendones Carbonell
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  4. Elena de las Sias
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Contributions

Conception and design: Núria Codern-Bové and Elena Torralba Martínez.

Collection and assembly of data: Magda Ciendones Carbonell and Elena Torralba Martínez.

Data analysis and interpretation: Núria Codern-Bové, Magda Ciendones Carbonell, and Elena Torralba Martínez.

Manuscript writing: Elena Torralba Martínez: writing original draft; Núria Codern-Bové: supervision and writing review and editing; Magda Ciendones Carbonell, Elena de las Sia, and Cristian Pablo Segura Carrillo: writing review and editing.

Final approval of manuscript: All authors.

Accountable for all aspects of the work: All authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Núria Codern-Bové.

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Ethics approval

The study was approved by the Hospital’s Clinical Research Ethics Committee (CEIC) (IIBSP-CAM-2016–63).

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All participants signed the informed consent prior to information about the study and before participating in the interviews.

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All participants gave their consent to the use of their data in a publication.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Torralba-Martínez, E., Quintana, M.J., Carbonell, M.C. et al. Coping experiences of women in the different phases of breast cancer. Support Care Cancer 30, 197–206 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06400-9

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