Experiences and coping strategies of women receiving treatment for breast and gynecological cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.
Sinem Göral Türkcü, Elif Uludağ, Pınar Serçekuş and 2 others
PMID 34619418WHAT IT FOUND
During the pandemic, women receiving chemotherapy for breast or gynecological cancers reported fear, isolation, physical strain, and money worries, alongside relief from stigma and coping through family, faith, positive thinking, and hobbies.
Key findings
01Interviews produced three main themes: problems, protection, and coping.
02The problems theme included anxiety and fear, social isolation, physical difficulties, and financial difficulties.
03The protection and coping themes included decreased stigmatization, preventive measures, family communication, distance, religious practices, social support, positive thinking, and hobbies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included 15 women from one chemotherapy centre in Turkey, so the themes cannot be generalized to all cancer patients. Participants had to speak Turkish and have no psychiatric disease, so the views of people with psychiatric conditions or other languages are not represented. All participants were receiving chemotherapy in a daycare unit, so experiences may differ for patients receiving other cancer treatments or care in other settings. Pandemic strategies and cultural context vary between countries, which may change what women with cancer experience.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that psychosocial support improves cancer outcomes. The study asked 15 women about their experiences and did not test any intervention or measure recovery.