A Qualitative Meta-synthesis of the Post-Traumatic Growth Experiences among Female Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Female breast cancer patients do not only experience trauma, but also positive growth. Yet, there has been few qualitative reviews. This study aims to synthesize the results of relevant qualitative studies to comprehensively interpret the PTG experiences of female breast cancer patients.Methods: We utilized the qualitative meta-synthesis approach including literature search, quality evaluation, data abstraction, and data synthesis.Results: Forty English studies and four Chinese studies were included in the final analysis. The PTG experiences among female breast cancer patients and survivors are summarized into five primary themes in line with the PTGI tool: personal strength, new possibilities, growth relating to others, appreciation of life, as well as spiritual and existential changes. Their subthemes expanded the meanings of three principle themes in the PTGI tool: personal strength (the addition of a sub-theme “better emotional control”), appreciation and change of life (the addition of a sub-theme “new health awareness/behavior”), and spiritual and existential change (the addition of a sub-theme “more willing to explore spiritual activities”). Conclusion: A gendered nature and cultural feature were identified from these expanded themes. Additionally, we also identified that the importance of family members over the patients’ PTG experiences as being cross-cultural. Implication for Cancer Survivors: Our results can enlighten a multidisciplinary team of health professionals, to provide tailored interventions to facilitate PTG experiences of female breast cancer patients.