The phenomenon of coping for women with primary breast cancer

This study provides insight into the phenomenon of coping, revealing detailed information outlining what the participants coped with and how they managed life, both during and after a diagnosis of primary breast cancer. This experience was reported as a significant life event for all participants, requiring flexible use of different coping styles to adjust to the global disruption in their lives. The interview questions for the study used the existential framework of The Four Dimensions (van Deurzen, 2010; van Deurzen & Arnold-Baker, 2005). This framework guided the extraction of detailed accounts relating to the phenomenon of coping across the physical, personal, social, and spiritual dimensions of lived experience. In addition, participants also shared their experience of time. IPA methodology (Smith et al., 2009) was used to interpret the data, producing findings describing coping across the dimensions of lived existence and time informed by an existential lens, highlighting the use of meaning-focused coping strategies particularly in the social and spiritual dimensions of lived experience. The findings are important because they have significant implications for the psychological support of women with primary breast cancer and point to individual differences in coping repertoires and resources. The researcher recommends how an existential-phenomenological approach could be used with this population. Recommendations for further research include studies that consider coping for women with metastatic breast cancer, studies that specifically explore difficulties in coping with anxiety at the end of breast cancer treatment, studies that explore coping specifically with iatrogenic trauma after breast cancer surgery, and studies that consider coping with long-term burdens of breast cancer, particularly health inequalities for women with fewer socioeconomic advantages.