Searching for and making meaning after breast cancer: prevalence, patterns, and negative affect

This study describes the prevalence and patterns of searching for meaning in the aftermath of breast cancer and asks how the search relates to made meaning and emotional adjustment. Women (n=72) reported their level of searching for meaning, made meaning and negative affect at multiple time points in the first 18 months after breast cancer treatment. Over time, four search for meaning patterns emerged: continuous (44%), exiguous (28%), delayed (15%) and resolved (13%). Just over half of the participants reported having made meaning at early and late time points. A higher level of searching for meaning was unrelated to made meaning, but was associated with a higher level of negative affect in longitudinal analyses controlling for baseline levels. Women who engaged in an ongoing, unresolved search for meaning from baseline to follow-up also had a significantly higher level of negative affect at follow-up than women who infrequently or never engaged in a search for meaning over time. These analyses reveal that: a) there is great variability in the prevalence and pattern of searching for meaning in the aftermath of breast cancer, and b) searching for meaning may be both futile and distressing.