Men’s strategies for preserving emotional well-being in advanced prostate cancer: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study explores men with advanced prostate cancers' own practices for promoting and maintaining emotional well-being using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. DesignFive men with advanced prostate cancer participated in face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews. ResultsWithin rich narratives of lost and regained well-being, two super-ordinate themes emerged -'living with an imminent and uncertain death' and 'holding on to life.' Well-being was threatened by reduced sense of the future, isolation and uncertainty. Yet, the men pursued well-being by managing their emotions, striving for the future whilst enjoying life in the present, taking care of their families and renegotiating purpose. Running through participant's accounts was a preference for taking action and problem-solving. Sense of purpose, social connectedness and life-engagement were revealed as concepts central to improving wellbeing, indicating areas which practitioners could explore with men to help them re-establish personal goals and life-purpose. ConclusionsThe findings also add weight to the evidence base for the potential value of psychological interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness in men with prostate cancer.

Coping Well with Advanced Cancer: A Serial Qualitative Interview Study with Patients and Family Carers

“…Research into coping and/or living with cancer which has taken a qualitative approach supports many of the main findings of this study: that positive experiences are important and strategies for living can be developed[52]; that whilst living with cancer is disruptive it is possible to make sense of the experience and ‘find a path’ which enables coping[53]; that a focus on life priorities and everyday tasks such as work or hobbies can be helpful[13]; the importance of ‘holding on to life’ by enjoying life in the present[14] that people use emotional and problem focused coping strategies, often focused on maintaining normality[19]; and that supportive relationships with and trust in clinicians are important[19, 54, 55]. The narratives commonly included expressions of ‘hope’ which is a factor considered by other work on coping with cancer [56].…”

Self-management of patients with advanced cancer: A systematic review of experiences and attitudes

“…47 Others used short-term goal setting as a strategy to reach long-term goals. 39,48,65,66 Over time, several patients shifted their focus on quality of life, and for this reason, some of them considered foregoing treatment. 49 Personal characteristics associated with the use of self-management strategies among patients with advanced cancer Two studies explored the cross-sectional association between age and self-management strategies (see Table 3).…”

“…(Continued) various cancer diagnosis groups; the other studies specifically focused on lung cancer,38 breast cancer,36,[43][44][45][46][47] prostate cancer,48 hepatocellular cancer 49 or myeloma.…”

The lived experience of adjustment to prostate cancer.

“…Currently, one of few studies in the field that emphasises interpretation though the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), explored the strategies that five patients utilised to preserve their wellbeing following diagnosis (Levy & Cartwright, 2015). The findings suggest that males took active steps to manage their wellbeing through dealing with several uncertainties and a reduced future perspective (Levy & Cartwright, 2015). However, the transferability of these findings is limited solely to their sample of advanced prostate cancer patients who may have different experiences to localised and locally advanced prostate cancer patients (Breitbart et al, 2010).…”