“The Challenge Led to Healing”: Survivors’ Experiences of Emotional Distress in a Breast Cancer Recovery Group

Abstract

As the number of women living beyond breast cancer continues to grow, the issue of emotional distress during survivorship has become increasingly salient. Many breast cancer survivors, distressed or not, choose to seek post-treatment support through group programs. Nonetheless, there has been a startling lack of research into participants’ experiences within these survivorship groups. In this study, I conducted semi-structured interviews with five breast cancer survivors who felt distressed during their participation in a cancer recovery group program. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) of participants’ experiences resulted in three overarching themes: (a) Contextual Challenges and Distress, (b) Group-Related Challenges and Distress, and (c) Coping and Healing. I discuss these findings within the context of relevant literature and present implications for group facilitators, care providers, and researchers in psychosocial oncology.