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Collaborative Autoethnography of Cancer Patients' Dynamic Sense of Agency.
Eeva Aromaa1, Päivi Eriksson1, Satu Koskinen2
1Business School, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Qualitative Health Research
|October 18, 2024
Summary
Cancer patients
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- Psychosocial Oncology
- Qualitative Health Research
Background:
- Cancer diagnosis and treatment significantly impact patients' sense of agency.
- Understanding patient agency is crucial for effective illness management.
- Existing literature lacks a deep dive into the dynamic shifts in patient agency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the evolving sense of agency in cancer patients during diagnosis and treatment.
- To understand how patients interpret and reinterpret their agency retrospectively.
- To examine the factors influencing shifts in cancer patients' agency and illness management.
Main Methods:
- Collaborative autoethnography utilizing authors' personal experiences with cancer diagnosis.
- Collective storytelling to illustrate relational and contextual influences.
- Qualitative analysis of shifts in agency and meaning-making.
Main Results:
- Sense of agency shifts are a collaborative, reflexive process involving cognitive, emotional, and bodily adjustments.
- External factors like social support, healthcare interactions, and global events (COVID-19, geopolitical conflict) significantly shape agency.
- Patients' understanding of cancer evolves, influencing their sense of agency.
Conclusions:
- Sense of agency is dynamic and context-dependent for cancer patients.
- Relational and contextual factors are key facilitators of agency shifts and illness management.
- Understanding these shifts offers new insights into the patient experience and psychosocial support needs.
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