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How do tangible supports impact the breast cancer experience?

Karen B Hirschman1, Joretha N Bourjolly

  • 1School of Nursing, Institute on Aging, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA. hirschk@nursing.upenn.edu

A woman's ability to navigate her new role as a breast cancer patient can be impacted by the support she has available to her during this time. One form of social support, tangible support, refers to providing support in a physical way that assists an individual in meeting their role responsibilities. The Roy Adaptation Model was used as a framework for conceptualizing the various roles in a woman's life that can be impacted by breast cancer and how the type and extent of tangible support impacts these roles. Through a qualitative open-ended interview 33 women with breast cancer described their experiences with their illness as it pertains to issues of role function and tangible supports.

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