The Body after Cancer: A Qualitative Study on Breast Cancer Survivors’ Body Representation

Abstract

Objective: The relationship with the body is a relevant issue for breast cancer survivors. Oncological treatments damage their bodies due to scars, weight gain, and other side effects. Starting from the efficacy of psychological interventions for breast cancer survivors, a tailored psychological support program was provided to promote overall well-being after illness dealing with bodily signals and related emotions and thoughts. This study presents changes in the description of the relationship with their bodies as well as participants’ emotions and thoughts before and after a psychological intervention. Methods and Measures: Eighteen women answered questions related to their bodies before and after the psychological intervention. Results were analyzed in accordance with the procedure of the Word Association Analysis through the T-Lab software and the Qualitative Thematic Analysis. Results: Participants reported a great awareness of their bodies and the desire to take care of them daily. In particular, the body is now perceived as a helper to sustain breast cancer survivors in their everyday activities. Conclusion: The words and the themes that characterized the participants’ reports highlighted the impact of cancer diagnosis and oncological therapies on breast cancer survivors. The participation in the psychological intervention focused on self-compassion towards their body helps women to create an improved body perception.

How to address the body after breast cancer? A proposal for a psychological intervention focused on body compassion

“…Participants will be accompanied in recognizing their needs and desire, without shame and fear of their inner sensations; -Session 4: The last session will be focused on the practice of loving-kindness meditations conducted by the psychooncologist. The overall aim of this session will be focused on integrating the Injured Self into the overall Self by stressing bodily contact and its related emotions and, as a consequence, the acceptance of this new body after breast cancer (Sebri et al, 2020(Sebri et al, , 2022. Therapeutic aims will be based on reaching emotional regulation by promoting awareness of inner feelings and regaining control over them (Sebri et al, 2022).…”

“…The overall aim of this session will be focused on integrating the Injured Self into the overall Self by stressing bodily contact and its related emotions and, as a consequence, the acceptance of this new body after breast cancer (Sebri et al, 2020(Sebri et al, , 2022. Therapeutic aims will be based on reaching emotional regulation by promoting awareness of inner feelings and regaining control over them (Sebri et al, 2022).…”

Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors in Relation to Age, Type of Surgery and Length of Time since First Treatment

“…Therefore, for many oncological practices, a detailed assessment of QOL was previously performed [ 10 ], as several factors can directly affect QOL, from psychological to physical factors, and caused by the strong symptomatology experienced by more than 61% of patients up to 5 years after diagnosis [ 13 , 14 ]. On the physical side, patients have to deal with the possible long-term side effects of cancer care, such as pain, vomiting, risk of infections, insomnia and fatigue, which are among the most common symptoms [ 14 , 15 ], with fatigue being the one that lasts the longest and affects people the most [ 16 ], appearing in 1 out of every 4 diagnoses [ 17 ]. On the psychological side, the diagnosis, change in lifestyle or social relationships may contribute to an increase in negative emotions such as depression and anxiety [ 15 ].…”

“…On the physical side, patients have to deal with the possible long-term side effects of cancer care, such as pain, vomiting, risk of infections, insomnia and fatigue, which are among the most common symptoms [ 14 , 15 ], with fatigue being the one that lasts the longest and affects people the most [ 16 ], appearing in 1 out of every 4 diagnoses [ 17 ]. On the psychological side, the diagnosis, change in lifestyle or social relationships may contribute to an increase in negative emotions such as depression and anxiety [ 15 ]. More commonly, younger patients have a higher risk of anxiety, depression and intrusive thoughts, and 20–30% of them experience fear of the future related to the perceived risk of disease recurrence and death [ 18 , 19 ].…”

“…More commonly, younger patients have a higher risk of anxiety, depression and intrusive thoughts, and 20–30% of them experience fear of the future related to the perceived risk of disease recurrence and death [ 18 , 19 ]. It is often the discrepancy between the patients’ current image and the ideal image created by society that often leads to dissatisfaction and emotional distress, fostering a preoccupation with external appearance [ 15 , 20 ]. It should also be noted that fear or worry about cancer recurrence (FCR) is a factor with great psychological influence, showing that higher levels are related to worse QOL [ 21 ].…”