Making meaning of cancer: A qualitative analysis of oral-digestive cancer survivors' reflections.

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study aimed to confirm and extend research on meaning making after cancer. In all, 119 adults aged 41 to 88 years (M = 65.50 years and standard deviation = 9.16 years) were interviewed 12 months after diagnosis of oral-digestive cancers. About half tried to understand why they got cancer (43%) and said that cancer changed their view of life (53%). Most (75%) reported that previous life experiences helped them cope with cancer. Cancer survivors made meanings in the areas of existential, social, and personal domains with both positive and negative content. Practitioners may wish to examine meaning making in these areas for those in distress after cancer.