A qualitative study of breast cancer self-help groups

The experience of cancer survivors in community-based psycho-social support activities in Shanghai, China: a qualitative study

“…The self-help groups which offer the venue for shared experience, emotional support and social learning can help constitute a social identity. Some studies in the West reported that giving help to others in a mutual help group predicted improvements in psycho-social adjustment, and giving advice was a unique predictor, and members were satisfied with the support they received and felt that the groups were effective [36][37][38]. Our results from SCRC confirm similar response patterns in selfhelp research in Western countries.…”

Use of cancer support groups among Latina breast cancer survivors

“…Cancer support groups provide women with opportunities to share concerns with peers, obtain emotional support, gain information about treatment and community resources, and find guidance in navigating health care systems [13,18,29]. Randomized trials have demonstrated several benefits of group psychosocial support among women with breast cancer including improved psychological symptoms, decreased pain [27,28], use of more positive emotion regulation strategies [26], less intrusive thoughts [34], better mood [20], and less distress [12,54].…”

Needs, expectations and attendance among participants of a cancer wellness centre in Montreal, Quebec

“…We questioned if infrequent users actually had their needs met and wanted feedback about possible care strategies for this particular population. As the numbers of cancer survivors increase, [8][9][10] centers such as ours, have been created to support the continuing and specific needs. As the literature suggests [11][12][13][14], some cancer survivors feel that their needs are not met by the system.…”

“…These authors suggested that clinicians working with breast cancer patients should recognize that unmet psychosocial needs may continue long after formal treatment has been completed. Two additional studies reported on the information needs of women with breast cancer [8,20]. Themes related to continued uncertainty about recurrence, the need for information and understanding of their disease, and information on cost-containment policies.…”