Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China
BackgroundReceiving a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is both a physical and emotional journey. Previous studies using single-source data have revealed common and culture-specific emotional experiences of patients living with breast cancer. However, few studies have combined such data from mul...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1114139/full |
| _version_ | 1811173285114675200 |
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| author | Chaixiu Li Chaixiu Li Cathy Ure Wanting Zheng Chunrao Zheng Jianhong Liu Chunlan Zhou Biao Jian Lijun Sun Wenji Li Lijun Xie Yuchang Mai Huihui Zhao Yusheng Liu Jie Lai Jie Lai Jiaqi Fu Jiaqi Fu Yanni Wu |
| author_facet | Chaixiu Li Chaixiu Li Cathy Ure Wanting Zheng Chunrao Zheng Jianhong Liu Chunlan Zhou Biao Jian Lijun Sun Wenji Li Lijun Xie Yuchang Mai Huihui Zhao Yusheng Liu Jie Lai Jie Lai Jiaqi Fu Jiaqi Fu Yanni Wu |
| author_sort | Chaixiu Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundReceiving a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is both a physical and emotional journey. Previous studies using single-source data have revealed common and culture-specific emotional experiences of patients living with breast cancer. However, few studies have combined such data from multiple sources. Thus, using a variety of data sources, the current study sought to explore the emotional experiences of women in China newly diagnosed, post-operative, or undergoing chemotherapy. We posited that even though women living with breast cancer in China have multiple channels through which they can express these emotional experiences, little variance would be found in their emotional expressivity and the themes they want to express due to cultural inhibitions.MethodsText data from female patients newly diagnosed, post-operative, or undergoing chemotherapy were collected between June 2021 and January 2022 via a Python web crawler, semi-structured interviews, and an expressive writing intervention. Data were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Reporting followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) guidelines.ResultsAnalyses were based on 5,675 Weibo posts and comments published by 448 posters and 1,842 commenters, transcription texts from 17 semi-structured interviews, and 150 expressive writing texts. From this total collection of 461,348 Chinese characters, three major themes emerged: (i) conflicting emotions after diagnosis; (ii) long-term suffering and treatment concerns; and (iii) benefit finding and cognitive reappraisal.ConclusionsDespite gathering information from various sources, we found that distress from body-image disturbances, gender role loss and conflict, and changes in sexuality and fertility, were consistent among this sample of female Chinese patients with breast cancer. However, when women engaged actively in benefit finding and cognitive reappraisal with strong social support, patients were able to find ways to adapt and reported post-traumatic growth. Strong social support was an important facilitator in this growth. These study findings emphasize that healthcare professionals ought to increase cultural sensitivity, provide multiple channels to encourage patients to express their emotions, and incorporate screening for patients' emotional distress at all diagnostic and treatment phases as part of routine nursing care. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:44:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67dbc641c93649cf824c07c93bb26920 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:44:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-67dbc641c93649cf824c07c93bb269202023-02-03T05:12:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-02-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.11141391114139Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in ChinaChaixiu Li0Chaixiu Li1Cathy Ure2Wanting Zheng3Chunrao Zheng4Jianhong Liu5Chunlan Zhou6Biao Jian7Lijun Sun8Wenji Li9Lijun Xie10Yuchang Mai11Huihui Zhao12Yusheng Liu13Jie Lai14Jie Lai15Jiaqi Fu16Jiaqi Fu17Yanni Wu18Department of Nursing, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaSchool of Nursing, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDirectorate of Allied and Public Health, School of Health and Society, University of Salford, Salford, Manchester, United KingdomVascular Thyroid Breast Surgery Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of General Surgery, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaOffice of Retirement Work, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Nursing, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaSoftware Quality Engineering Center, China Electronic Product Reliability and Environmental Testing Research Institute, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaReliability and Environmental Test Engineering Center, China Electronic Product Reliability and Environmental Testing Research Institute, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Breast Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaVascular Thyroid Breast Surgery Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of General Surgery, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Breast Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Breast Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Nursing, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaSchool of Nursing, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Nursing, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaSchool of Nursing, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Nursing, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaBackgroundReceiving a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is both a physical and emotional journey. Previous studies using single-source data have revealed common and culture-specific emotional experiences of patients living with breast cancer. However, few studies have combined such data from multiple sources. Thus, using a variety of data sources, the current study sought to explore the emotional experiences of women in China newly diagnosed, post-operative, or undergoing chemotherapy. We posited that even though women living with breast cancer in China have multiple channels through which they can express these emotional experiences, little variance would be found in their emotional expressivity and the themes they want to express due to cultural inhibitions.MethodsText data from female patients newly diagnosed, post-operative, or undergoing chemotherapy were collected between June 2021 and January 2022 via a Python web crawler, semi-structured interviews, and an expressive writing intervention. Data were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Reporting followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) guidelines.ResultsAnalyses were based on 5,675 Weibo posts and comments published by 448 posters and 1,842 commenters, transcription texts from 17 semi-structured interviews, and 150 expressive writing texts. From this total collection of 461,348 Chinese characters, three major themes emerged: (i) conflicting emotions after diagnosis; (ii) long-term suffering and treatment concerns; and (iii) benefit finding and cognitive reappraisal.ConclusionsDespite gathering information from various sources, we found that distress from body-image disturbances, gender role loss and conflict, and changes in sexuality and fertility, were consistent among this sample of female Chinese patients with breast cancer. However, when women engaged actively in benefit finding and cognitive reappraisal with strong social support, patients were able to find ways to adapt and reported post-traumatic growth. Strong social support was an important facilitator in this growth. These study findings emphasize that healthcare professionals ought to increase cultural sensitivity, provide multiple channels to encourage patients to express their emotions, and incorporate screening for patients' emotional distress at all diagnostic and treatment phases as part of routine nursing care.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1114139/fullbreast canceremotional experienceChinese womentext analysisqualitative studypsychological support |
| spellingShingle | Chaixiu Li Chaixiu Li Cathy Ure Wanting Zheng Chunrao Zheng Jianhong Liu Chunlan Zhou Biao Jian Lijun Sun Wenji Li Lijun Xie Yuchang Mai Huihui Zhao Yusheng Liu Jie Lai Jie Lai Jiaqi Fu Jiaqi Fu Yanni Wu Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China Frontiers in Public Health breast cancer emotional experience Chinese women text analysis qualitative study psychological support |
| title | Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China |
| title_full | Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China |
| title_fullStr | Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China |
| title_short | Listening to voices from multiple sources: A qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in China |
| title_sort | listening to voices from multiple sources a qualitative text analysis of the emotional experiences of women living with breast cancer in china |
| topic | breast cancer emotional experience Chinese women text analysis qualitative study psychological support |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1114139/full |
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