Navigating psychological well-being

Distress and resilience among breast cancer patients in Southwestern Nigeria

Bibliographic Data

ID23312460
AuthorsDeborah Tolulope Esan (0000-0002-3896-8207, Bowen University, corresponding author), Oluwatomigbekele Dorcas Onabanjo (Bowen University), Nasirat Omolara Rasaq (Federal Medical Centre)
Year2026
Volume10
Pages100681
Publication date2026-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSSM - Mental Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2666-5603 • E-ISSN: 2666-5603
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssmmh.2026.100681
OpenAlexW7169789153
LanguageEN
References cited44

Background Breast cancer significantly impacts psychological well-being, often leading to profound distress, yet resilience through coping mechanisms can mitigate effects. In Nigeria, where cultural, spiritual, and structural factors shape health perceptions and healthcare access, qualitative insights into patients' dynamic psychological experiences remain limited. Existing research has predominantly focused on clinical outcomes, with insufficient attention to how gender norms, social stigma, and healthcare system constraints produce and compound psychological suffering. This study explored the lived experiences of psychological well-being and distress among breast cancer patients in Southwestern Nigeria, addressing a critical gap in understanding how women navigate emotional trajectories within a low-resource, culturally complex setting. Methods A qualitative interpretive phenomenological design was employed, guided by Leventhal's Illness Perception Model and a structural vulnerability framework. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 breast cancer patients (aged 33-76 years) at Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. Participants represented diverse marital statuses, cancer stages, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework, with multiple strategies for rigor including member checking, peer debriefing, and reflexive journaling. The analysis attended to individual narratives, cultural meanings, and structural determinants of distress. Results Five interconnected themes emerged: (1) embodied distress and identity disruption women experienced mastectomy and treatment-related changes as assaults on femininity, marital security, and social identity, with financial strain becoming psychologically embodied; (2) social suffering and isolation stigma, spiritual framing of illness as curse or punishment, and withdrawal from communities compounded isolation, with some women experiencing active rejection by family and friends; (3) fluctuating emotional vulnerability fear, sadness, and exhaustion intensified around treatment milestones and structural barriers, with nighttime emerging as a particularly vulnerable period; (4) reconstructing self through acceptance and inner strength over time, many women cultivated acceptance, present-moment focus, gratitude, and purpose through advocacy; and (5) spiritual anchoring as resilience faith, prayer, and religious community provided comfort, meaning-making, and social support, though spiritual coping also carried tensions around divine justice and treatment delay. Psychological well-being emerged as a dynamic trajectory, with distress coexisting alongside resilience rather than following a linear path from vulnerability to recovery. Conclusion Psychological well-being among Nigerian breast cancer patients is shaped by the complex interplay of embodied distress, social isolation, structural constraints, and spiritual resources. Distress is not merely an individual emotional response but is socially, culturally, and structurally produced. Faith and acceptance serve as powerful buffers, yet their effectiveness is constrained by financial toxicity, healthcare system fragmentation, and inadequate psychosocial support. Findings underscore the urgent need for culturally sensitive, structurally aware psychosocial interventions including integrated counseling, peer support groups, financial navigation, and policy reforms to reduce treatment-related economic burden. Holistic, patient-centered approaches that address individual, social, and structural dimensions of suffering are essential to enhance resilience and quality of life among breast cancer patients in Nigeria and similar low-resource settings.

Breast cancer · Depression (economics) · Distress · Psychological distress · Psychological resilience · Resilience (materials science) · Vulnerability (computing) · Cancer survivorship and care · Mental Health via Writing · Resilience and Mental Health

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