Living Alone During Cancer Treatment
An Exploration of Patients’ Experiences
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4662781 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charlotte Benoot (0000-0003-2419-1318, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium), Johan Bilsen (0000-0001-8371-4612, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium), Maria Grypdonck (0000-0001-5696-6873, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium), Reginald Deschepper (0000-0002-4222-3945, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1057-1067 |
| Publication date | 2014-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Qualitative Health Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1049-7323 • E-ISSN: 1552-7557 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1049732314543109 |
| PMID | 25028157 |
| OpenAlex | W2172013669 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 26 |
The social environment is an important determinant in the overall experience of having cancer. The purpose of this article is to identify how patients experience living alone during their cancer treatment. Using qualitative methods based on grounded theory techniques, we interviewed a sample of 32 cancer patients. Living alone was an ambiguous experience during cancer treatment: patients experienced both a lack of support as well a gain in privacy, freedom, and know-how. Living alone was also seen as a constitutive element of the patients' identity. Consequently, patients saw living alone as either a threat or as a resource for their adjustment to cancer treatment. These divergent meanings of living alone did share one common attribute, which was that staying independent was their key goal during cancer treatment. Health care providers should be attentive to the heterogeneous aspects of the experience of living alone when critically appraising the independence of patients
Cancer · Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life · Family Support in Illness · Medicine · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Psychology · Internal Medicine
Associations of social networks with cancer mortality
Living Arrangements, Social Integration, and Change in Functional Health Status
Suicide
Suicide
Powers of Freedom
The Difference between Communal and Exchange Relationships
Living Alone, Social Support, and Feeling Lonely Among the Elderly
Experiences of Living Alone
Research Design
The Lived Experience of Oldest-Old Rural Adults
Defining Social Support in Context
Social networks, social support and coping with serious illness
Marital Status, Marital Transitions, and Health
Cultures of Intimacy and Care beyond 'the Family
| Citations per year | 0.18 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2016 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |