Coping during COVID-19: a mixed methods study of older cancer survivors.
Support Care Cancer
; 29(6): 3389-3398, 2021 Jun.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1009139
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Older cancer survivors are among the most vulnerable to the negative effects of COVID-19 and may need specific survivorship supports that are unavailable/restricted during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to explore how older adults (≥ 60 years) who were recently (≤ 12 months) discharged from the care of their cancer team were coping during the pandemic.METHODS:
We used a convergent mixed method design (QUAL+quan). Quantitative data were collected using the Brief-COPE questionnaire. Qualitative data were collected using telephone interviews to explore experiences and strategies for coping with cancer-related concerns.RESULTS:
The mean sample age (n = 30) was 72.1 years (SD 5.8, range 63-83) of whom 57% identified as female. Participants' Brief-COPE responses indicated that they commonly used acceptance (n = 29, 96.7%), self-distraction (n = 28, 93.3%), and taking action (n = 28, 93.3%) coping strategies. Through our descriptive thematic analysis, we identified three themes (1) drawing on lived experiences, (2) redeploying coping strategies, and (3) complications of cancer survivorship in a pandemic. Participants' coping strategies were rooted in experiences with cancer, other illnesses, life, and work. Using these strategies during the pandemic was not new-they were redeployed and repurposed-although using them during the pandemic was sometimes complicated. These data were converged to maximize interpretation of the findings.CONCLUSIONS:
Study findings may inform the development or enhancement of cancer and non-cancer resources to support coping, particularly using remote delivery methods within and beyond the pandemic. Clinicians can engage a strengths-based approach to support older cancer survivors as they draw from their experiences, which contain a repository of potential coping skills.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Adaptation, Psychological
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Support Care Cancer
Journal subject:
Neoplasms
/
Health Services
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S00520-020-05929-5
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