"I thought I was Probably Going to Die due to People Looking at me with Pity": A Phenomenological Qualitative Study on the Lived Cancer Stigma Experiences of Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Objectives: It has been stated that there is a need for more recognition of the "stigma concept," which negatively affects the lives of patients with breast cancer during the diagnosis and treatment process. There are no recent studies on the experiences of Turkish women with breast cancer about stigmatization that employ qualitative methods. This study aims to examine in depth the lived stigma experiences of women with breast cancer during the diagnosis and treatment process.

Methods: In total, 18 phenomenological semistructured in-depth individual interviews were conducted with patients with breast cancer between December 2023 and March 2024. Data were analyzed using Collaizzi's 7-step descriptive analysis approach.

Results: Four main themes and 8 subthemes developed from the phenomenological analysis of the interviews: (1) Cancer Metaphors: "A dark journey," "A bomb falling on the house!" and "Cancer = death!"; (2) Social Stigma: "Cancer = an infectious disease," "Negative and Disturbing Attitudes/Approaches of People"; (3) Internalized Stigma, and (4) Coping: "Acceptance" and "Social support."

Conclusion: It was determined that the patients experienced social stigmatization due to negative attitudes of people toward cancer, perceiving it as infectious and approaching them with pity or demonstrating disturbing expressions. In addition, their social interactions were negatively affected due to the internalized stigma, and they were in an effort to cope with all the problems they experienced.

Implications for nursing practice: The study highlighted the psychological needs of patients with breast cancer related to "stigmatization." Cancer nurses should monitor the stigmatization experiences of women with breast cancer, reveal their perceptions of internalized stigma, and implement programs to cope with stigma. It is also recommended that interventional studies, including coping programs with "stigma" for patients with breast cancer, should be conducted in future research.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Cancer nursing; Patients; Qualitative study; Stigma.