“The Challenge Led to Healing”: Survivors’ Experiences of Emotional Distress in a Breast Cancer Recovery Group

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorRobertson, Sharon E.
dc.contributor.authorMcCowan, Michelle Elizabeth
dc.contributor.committeememberWada, Kaori
dc.contributor.committeememberMoules, Nancy Jean
dc.date2018-06
dc.date.accessioned2018-05-01T17:18:17Z
dc.date.available2018-05-01T17:18:17Z
dc.date.issued2018-04-25
dc.description.abstractAs the number of women living beyond breast cancer continues to grow, the issue of emotional distress during survivorship has become increasingly salient. Many breast cancer survivors, distressed or not, choose to seek post-treatment support through group programs. Nonetheless, there has been a startling lack of research into participants’ experiences within these survivorship groups. In this study, I conducted semi-structured interviews with five breast cancer survivors who felt distressed during their participation in a cancer recovery group program. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) of participants’ experiences resulted in three overarching themes: (a) Contextual Challenges and Distress, (b) Group-Related Challenges and Distress, and (c) Coping and Healing. I discuss these findings within the context of relevant literature and present implications for group facilitators, care providers, and researchers in psychosocial oncology.en_US
dc.identifier.citationMcCowan, M. E. (2018). "The challenge led to healing": Survivors’ experiences of emotional distress in a breast cancer recovery group (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/31865en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/31865
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/106579
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.facultyWerklund School of Education
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectPsychosocial Oncology
dc.subjectCancer Recovery
dc.subjectGroup Support
dc.subjectSurvivorship Care
dc.subjectIllness Support Groups
dc.subjectBreast Cancer
dc.subjectqualitative research
dc.subjectInterpretative Phenomenological Analysis
dc.subject.classificationHealth Care Managementen_US
dc.subject.classificationMental Healthen_US
dc.subject.classificationOncologyen_US
dc.title“The Challenge Led to Healing”: Survivors’ Experiences of Emotional Distress in a Breast Cancer Recovery Group
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineEducational Psychology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
ucalgary_2018_mccowan_michelle.pdf
Size:
854.1 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.74 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Open Theses and Dissertations