University of Tennessee, 293 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
J Cancer Surviv. 2012 Dec;6(4):431-40. doi: 10.1007/s11764-012-0229-7. Epub 2012 Jul 20.
Previous research has demonstrated the common experience of illness-related uncertainty; however, little research has explored the specific sources of uncertainty throughout cancer survivorship. The purpose of this study is to investigate the experience of uncertainty for cancer survivors and their partners. Thus, the following research question is posed: What are the sources of uncertainty in cancer survivorship for survivors and partners?
One-on-one interviews were conducted with 35 cancer survivors and 25 partners. Constant comparative methodologies were used to analyze the data.
Participants described medical, personal, and social sources of uncertainty that persisted throughout survivorship. Medical sources of uncertainty included questions about the cancer diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Personal sources of uncertainty included ambiguous valued identities and career-related questions. Social sources of uncertainty included unclear communicative, relational and familial consequences of illness.
Survivors and partners in this study experienced uncertainty that persisted long after the completion of cancer treatment. The participants also described sources of uncertainty unique to this illness context. These results have important implications for health care providers and intervention developers and imply that chronic uncertainty should be managed throughout survivorship.
The sources of uncertainty described in the current study have important implications for cancer survivors' management of uncertainty. Cancer survivors and their family members must first know the common sources of uncertainty to adaptively adjust to an uncertain survivorship trajectory. The present investigation provides insight into the uncertainty experiences of cancer survivors and implies that continued care may improve well-being after the completion of cancer treatment.
先前的研究已经证明了与疾病相关的不确定性是普遍存在的；然而，很少有研究探讨癌症生存者整个生存过程中不确定性的具体来源。本研究旨在探讨癌症生存者及其伴侣的不确定性体验。因此，提出了以下研究问题：癌症生存者及其伴侣的生存过程中不确定性的来源有哪些？
对 35 名癌症生存者和 25 名伴侣进行了一对一的访谈。采用恒定性比较方法对数据进行分析。
参与者描述了贯穿整个生存过程的医学、个人和社会方面的不确定性来源。医学方面的不确定性包括对癌症诊断、治疗和预后的疑问。个人方面的不确定性包括不确定的个人价值身份和与职业相关的问题。社会方面的不确定性包括疾病沟通、关系和家庭后果的不明确。
本研究中的生存者及其伴侣在癌症治疗完成后很长一段时间内仍经历着不确定性。参与者还描述了这种疾病背景下特有的不确定性来源。这些结果对医疗保健提供者和干预措施的开发者具有重要意义，这意味着在整个生存过程中都应该管理慢性不确定性。
当前研究中描述的不确定性来源对癌症生存者管理不确定性具有重要意义。癌症生存者及其家属首先必须了解常见的不确定性来源，以便能够适应不确定的生存轨迹。本研究提供了对癌症生存者不确定性体验的深入了解，并暗示在癌症治疗完成后继续治疗可能会提高幸福感。
