Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb;30(2):212-220.
doi: 10.1002/pon.5551. Epub 2020 Sep 24.

The impact of ovarian cancer on individuals and their caregivers: A qualitative analysis

Jit Hui Tan  1 , Louise Sharpe  1 , Hayley Russell  2
Affiliations

The impact of ovarian cancer on individuals and their caregivers: A qualitative analysis

Jit Hui Tan et al. Psychooncology. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Ovarian cancer remains an understudied cancer with poor prognosis, few effective treatments and little understanding of the how individuals and their families face the challenges and uncertainty following diagnosis. This study synthesized the subjective experiences of individuals and their caregivers in the face of the uncertainty produced by the disease.

Methods: Qualitative data were obtained from the Ovarian Cancer Australia 2017 Consumer Survey. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted on responses from 219 individuals with ovarian cancer and 78 caregivers.

Results: Nine themes were identified from the individual's responses and seven themes from the caregivers. For both groups, the uncertainty created at diagnosis led to a cascade of complex responses. For the individuals, uncertainty gave rise to fears for the future, which were exacerbated by unmet healthcare needs or treatment-related difficulties. For some individuals, these fears led to disruption to their lives, isolation and emotional distress. For others, helpful coping styles and social support protected them from these negative consequences. For caregivers, the processes were similar, but uncertainty predominantly led to feelings of hopelessness and "survivor guilt."

Conclusions: Our results identified processes that may guide future interventions and research targeting unmet needs and protective factors for individuals with ovarian cancer and their caregivers. Findings also suggest the potential to facilitate effective support between individuals and their caregivers.

Keywords: cancer; caregivers; distress; fear of cancer recurrence; illness; ovarian cancer; psycho-oncology; uncertainty.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES
    1. Australia OC. National Action Plan for Ovarian Cancer Research: The Comprehensive Report. 2016.
    1. Ferrell BR, Smith SL, Ervin KS, Itano J, Melancon C. A qualitative analysis of social concerns of women with ovarian cancer. Psycho Oncol. 2003;12(7):647-663.
    1. Power J, Brown L, Ritvo P. A qualitative study examining psychosocial distress, coping, and social support across the stages and phases of epithelial ovarian cancer. Health Care Women Int. 2008;29(4):366-383.
    1. Carr P. What happens next?: how ovarian cancer forces a woman into a new draft of her life script. Dramatherapy. 2013;35(3):149-161.
    1. DellaRipa J, Conlon A, Lyon DE, Ameringer SA, Lynch Kelly D, Menzies V. Perceptions of distress in women with ovarian cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2015;42(3):292-300.

LinkOut - more resources