The Motivation Journey: A Grounded Theory Study on Female Cancer Survivors’ Experience of a Psychological Intervention for Quality of Life

Abstract

Psychological interventions are proposed to cancer survivors to support their quality of life against the emotional trauma of cancer and the side effects of treatment. Psychological interventions often require patient engagement and commitment to activities that could be more or less demanding in terms of lifestyle change (e.g., psychotherapy, sports). Analyzing participant motivations (personal aims, expectations, needs) prior to participation is useful to predict their adherence to the intervention as well as final outcomes. Yet, participant motivations may evolve during the intervention because the intervention experience turns out to be meaningful and positively challenging. The present study aimed to obtain a preliminary understanding of the process of motivation change in female cancer survivors who participated in a sport-based intervention to promote quality of life by employing a grounded theory approach. Data analysis took place alongside data collection and according to the procedure of grounded theory (“open coding”, “axial coding”, and “selective coding”) in order to describe the process of motivation change during women’s participation in psychological intervention for quality of life. On 14 women interviewed, 13 reported changing their motivation to participate during the first months of involvement, mostly changing from individualistic to group-related motivations (i.e., from self-care to friendship with other participants and enriching group membership), and from physical to psychological growth (i.e., pursuing not only physical health but also self-fulfillment). The discussion explains the preliminary aspects of the motivation change process and highlights the importance to monitor motivation dynamics within psychological interventions.

Psychological Benefits of a Sport-Based Program for Female Cancer Survivors: The Role of Social Connections

“…It is possible to suggest that in the "Pink is Good" program an important role was played by social connections and support, peer influence and the group experience, as corroborated by qualitative research on the same project that highlighted how the social components of the program played a fundamental motivational role to participants' engagement (Durosini et al, 2021a). Despite the limitations, the participants were able to interact and share their experiences with cancer, survivorship and everyday life, and often they reported (as brief comments on the intervention experience) the social and friendship opportunities as the main factor among their take-home benefits.…”

“…Relevant indexes of participants' quality of life (depression and anxiety) or participants' commitment to healthcare management and the intervention itself (self-efficacy and satisfaction with group therapy) appeared related to the perceived quality of the peer group, created by the participants and enriched during the intervention months. It is possible that both sport activities and group cohesion would obtain significant effects within an intervention more extended in time, similar to how "Pink is Good" was originally conceived before the COVID-19 related alterations, as previous research reports that peer relationships and the building of novel social support resources can promote participants' motivation and health outcomes (Queen et al, 2017;Chen and Zhao, 2020;Durosini et al, 2021a). This is consistent with research showing that support groups may be more welcomed and beneficial to breast cancer patients if proposed and described in innovative ways (Green et al, 2018), for example as sport groups that will share self-empowering activities.…”

“…However, the effectiveness of sports programs largely depends on the motivation and adherence of participants. Recent studies highlighted that motivation can change over time and peer/group support is relevant to dedicate time and enjoy activities by having other people involved in the same physical activities with similar efforts and emotional difficulties (Elmagd et al, 2018;Durosini et al, 2021a;Savioni et al, 2021). Indeed, social support promotes patients' commitment and engagement in activities that demand lifestyle changes, such as sport (Richardson et al, 2017;Savioni et al, 2021).…”

“…Indeed, social support promotes patients' commitment and engagement in activities that demand lifestyle changes, such as sport (Richardson et al, 2017;Savioni et al, 2021). The perception of being part of a group fosters individual motivation thanks to the creation of new social bonds (Cho et al, 2020;Durosini et al, 2021a) that promote deeper reflection on one's own motivation by impacting the general experience of a group as well as one's own personal objectives (Novick et al, 2011). In the context of sports-based interventions for improving health and quality of life in chronic patients, participants could develop meaningful social relationships that affect their well-being as much as intervention activities.…”

Lifestyle in Female Teachers: Educational Intervention Based on Self-Efficacy Theory in the South of Fars Province, Iran

“…The study of Charandabi et al states that responsibility is associated with self-efficacy and emphasizes that responsibility is one of the characteristics of self-efficacious individuals [ 41 ]. A grounded theory study on female cancer survivors' experience of a psychological intervention for quality of life conducted by Durosini et al showed that not only physical health but also self-actualization is one of the most important motivational reasons for healthy behaviors such as exercise [ 42 ].…”