Nwozichi Chinomso Ugochukwu, Ojewale Margaret Olutosin, Salako Omolabake, Brotobor Deliverance, Olaogun Elizabeth
Wellstar School of Nursing, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA.
Nigerian Army College of Nursing, Yaba, Nigeria.
J Patient Exp. 2025 Jan 28;12:23743735251314858. doi: 10.1177/23743735251314858. eCollection 2025.
Breast cancer is a significant public health concern globally, and its impact extends beyond physical survival. Survivors often grapple with a myriad of challenges, including psychological distress, social isolation, and financial hardship. These challenges are often exacerbated in low-resource settings like Nigeria, where limited access to quality healthcare, socioeconomic disparities, and cultural stigma surrounding cancer can significantly impact the quality of life for survivors. This study aims to explore the suffering perceived by long-term breast cancer survivors in Nigeria, focusing on their lived experiences during and after treatment. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 women who have survived breast cancer for over 5 years. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to capture the essence of their suffering, allowing for a deep understanding of their lived experiences. Five main domains emerged: (1) Physical Suffering, (2) Emotional Distress, (3) Social Suffering, (4) Financial Strain, and (5) Spiritual and Resilient Coping. Participants described their suffering as a multifaceted journey marked by physical pain, emotional turmoil, social stigma, financial challenges, and resilience fostered through spirituality and support systems. The phenomenological analysis revealed that the participants' suffering extended beyond the physical, touching every aspect of their lives and reshaping their identities and perceptions of self. The findings highlight the complex nature of suffering among breast cancer survivors in Nigeria, underscoring the need for comprehensive survivorship care that addresses physical, psychosocial, and spiritual dimensions. By understanding the essence of their suffering, healthcare providers can develop more compassionate, context-specific care strategies that validate and support the holistic needs of survivors.
乳腺癌是全球重大的公共卫生问题，其影响不仅限于身体存活。幸存者常常要应对众多挑战，包括心理困扰、社会孤立和经济困难。在尼日利亚这样资源匮乏的地区，这些挑战往往会加剧，因为在这些地区，获得优质医疗服务的机会有限、社会经济差距较大以及围绕癌症的文化污名化会严重影响幸存者的生活质量。本研究旨在探讨尼日利亚长期乳腺癌幸存者所感受到的痛苦，重点关注她们在治疗期间及之后的生活经历。采用现象学方法，对22名乳腺癌存活超过5年的女性进行了深入访谈。使用主题分析法对数据进行分析，以捕捉她们痛苦的本质，从而深入了解她们的生活经历。出现了五个主要领域：（1）身体痛苦，（2）情绪困扰，（3）社会痛苦，（4）经济压力，以及（5）精神与韧性应对。参与者将她们的痛苦描述为一段多方面的历程，其特征包括身体疼痛、情绪动荡、社会污名、经济挑战以及通过灵性和支持系统培养出的韧性。现象学分析表明，参与者的痛苦不仅限于身体方面，还触及她们生活的方方面面，重塑了她们的身份和自我认知。研究结果凸显了尼日利亚乳腺癌幸存者痛苦的复杂性，强调需要提供全面的生存护理，涵盖身体、心理社会和精神层面。通过了解她们痛苦的本质，医疗服务提供者可以制定更具同情心、因地制宜的护理策略，以确认并支持幸存者的整体需求。
