Sara Lilliehorn

‘Admission into a helping plan’: a watershed between positive and negative experiences in breast cancer

Cancer patients are in an exposed situation that raises certain psychosocial needs in contact with health care. Previous studies have mainly investigated these needs by assessments on pre‐defined categories.

The impact of breast cancer on living an everyday life 4.5 - 5 years post-diagnosis - a qualitative prospective study of 39 women

Abstract Background. The survival of women with breast cancer has improved. There are many studies available describing different aspects of how the illness and its treatment affect the women. Usually these studies are cross-sectional and focus on assessments of a sample of women at a single point in time during post-treatment. These studies are important but of limited value if we are interested in understanding more about breast cancer in a life context. The present study is a contribution. Methods. A consecutive sample of 39 women was followed up by means of repeated thematic interviews about how they lived their lives, from the end of radiation therapy to a point four years later, i.e. 4.5–5 years post diagnosis. Results. Four different groups of women emerged. Largely, the first group evaluated the cancer initiated transformation of their lives in a positive way. The breast cancer helped them depart from a career treadmill or to positive interpersonal experiences. In the second group the cancer and its treatment seemed to pass without marked traces. The cancer made a difference for the third group, but both in positive and negative ways. A different life perspective or improved relationships were weighted against troublesome side effects from treatment. Finally, in the fourth group a bodily decline due to side effects and other health problems was predominant and this obstructed their chances of living a good life. Discussion. The narratives showed that being diseased by breast cancer has different impacts depending on how the woman lives her life – it is very much a matter of transition in a life context. The results are furthermore discussed in relation to adaptation and coping theory.

A nationwide study of Swedish oncology social workers: Characteristics, clinical functions, and perceived barriers to optimal functioning

ABSTRACT Oncology social workers (OSWs) play a key role in cancer services, but they have mainly been described from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. This study aims to widen the field by scrutinizing the role and function of OSWs in Sweden. By means of a nationwide questionnaire to Swedish OSWs, the professional characteristics of this group are described, as well as their descriptions and reflections on their clinical function and their experiences of barriers to optimal functioning. Our findings indicate that Swedish OSWs seem to have taken a different path than in other countries by mainly providing therapeutic treatment and counseling to the patients rather than working with discharge planning. However, due to a mismatch between clinical demands and the training of Swedish OSWs, some suggestions are provided for future social work education in Sweden.

Living at a residency away from home during radiotherapy as narrated by 52 patients with breast cancer: a cage of safety and discomfort

Abstract Purpose: In the Nordic countries many patients with cancer conclude their treatment with 5–6 weeks of radiotherapy while staying at a residency far away from home. The experience of this stay, from a rehabilitation perspective, has not previously been studied. Method: Fifty-two women with breast cancer were followed with repeated thematic interviews from diagnosis up to 2 years. Results: The majority of women saw both pros and cons with their stay, and overall the stay could be described as “A cage of safety and discomfort”. Pros included “Safety”, “Closeness and learning”, and “Feeling like being on holiday”, while cons included “An intruding self-image”, “Isolation and increased vulnerability”, and “A loss of function”. Some patients supported their own rehabilitation by socializing with their “fellow sisters”, while others isolated themselves and mainly found it burdensome to be there. Conclusions: The residence becomes an interactional field with the potential to facilitate patients in resuming a new everyday life. The women who do not interact with others and/or who are stuck with feelings of anxiety should be offered the opportunity to take part in a group exclusively for “fellow sisters” in a similar situation. Implications for Rehabilitation Staying in accommodations together with other patients receiving daily radiotherapy for cancer for 5–6 weeks lends itself to personal interactions with a rehabilitative impact. Some patients take advantage of this possibility, which might facilitate the integration of the cancer experience into a new self-image. To some more vulnerable patients the stay at the patient hotel is burdensome, and these patients represent a target group for staff interventions aiming to facilitate their stay and their resumption of a new everyday life. A suggestion is that the specialist nurses meet with every patient after about a week in order to identify women who would benefit from psychosocial interventions.

A nationwide study of the function of the social worker in cancer care and rehabilitation: the present status and prospects for the future

A smartphone application is a feasible way to deliver information and resources to carers while they are looking after someone receiving cancer treatment. A smartphone application is an appropriate resource for carers regardless of their age or gender.A Cognitive Behavioural Conceptualization of Psychological Distress in Parents of Children Previously Treated for Cancer5 Risk for psychological distress among cancer patients with a familial history of Indian Residential School attendance: Results from the 2008‐10 First Nations Regional Health Survey Mrs. Maike van Niekerk* | Dr. Amy Bombay Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada; Dalhousie University, Halifax,

Breast cancer experience through the body : A consecutive, six-year longitudinal study of 24 women

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a disruptive s bodies in body experiences in a life context are not sufficiently acknowledged in breast cancer research. Due to the increasing number of breast cancer s ...Abstract presented at the IPOS 15th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, 4-8 November 2013, Rotterdam, Netherlands