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http://dx.doi.org/10.5762/KAIS.2020.21.5.327

The Experience of Cancer Survivor's Return to Everyday Life  

Kim, Seon-Young (Department of Nursing, Bucheon University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society / v.21, no.5, 2020 , pp. 327-336 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study was undertaken to identify ways that enable a successful comeback to everyday life and improvement in the quality of life, by understanding the experiences of cancer survivors in returning to everyday life. Totally, 19 people diagnosed with complete cure after 5 years of cancer treatment, were recruited for the study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews from January 18 to February 25, 2017. One-time interviews took 90 to 120 minutes, and data analysis was achieved by applying the grounded theory. The central phenomenon of 'reality that cannot be escaped' and 'uncertain reality that cannot know tomorrow' was attributed to the causal conditions 'hard reality', 'physical exhaustion', 'psychological exhaustion' and 'economic exhaustion'. Depending on context conditions such as 'lack of family support', 'shift to a vulnerable working class', 'insufficient support system', 'hope for the societal support system', 'daunted gender', 'prejudice against cancer/cancer patients', 'information on life after rare full healing'. The strategy for a successful return was influenced by intervention conditions such as 'robust family fence' and 'effective cancer insurance', which resulted in 'building a new life' or 'enduring'. We conclude that for a successful return to daily lives, cancer survivors require comprehensive information, health and social-welfare interventions.
Keywords
Cancer survivor; Everyday life; Return; Experience; Grounded Theory;
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