Social and Emotional Impact of Group Engagement in Occupations Among Cancer Survivors
Author
Kreis, Heidi
Access
This item will be available on: 2024-12-01
Abstract
Rationale: Due to medical and technological advancements, the cancer death rate has declined significantly in recent years, leading to an increase in the number of cancer survivors. A cancer diagnosis impacts an individual’s physical and mental health, and the consequences of cancer do not cease once treatment has ended. Traditional models of cancer survivorship care fail to emphasize the psychosocial impact of the disease, as cancer survivors continue to face occupational disruptions throughout their lives. Occupational therapists are skilled in addressing social and emotional distress through occupational engagement, yet occupational therapy services are underutilized in current survivorship care. Research is limited to support occupational therapy’s effectiveness in supporting cancer survivors through psychosocial group intervention. Purpose: This study was conducted to explore the effect of group engagement in meaningful occupations on the psychosocial wellbeing of adult cancer survivors. Specifically, this study aimed to examine differences in pre- and posttest measures of distress, meaning and purpose of life, and the positive psychosocial impact of illness. Design: Quasi-experimental one- group pretest-posttest design. Participants: Participants were three female breast cancer survivors between the ages of 63 and 71 (M= 66, SD=3.56) with varying courses and timelines of cancer treatment. Methods: Participants completed pretest data collection, eight weekly occupation-based group sessions, and posttest data collection. The research team facilitated eight 90-minute sessions, each with a different occupational focus centered around leisure. The general structure of the weekly sessions included an introduction to the activity and group goals, engagement in a meaningful leisure activity, and guided reflection. Analysis: Psychosocial wellbeing was analyzed using three quantitative measures to measure cancer-related distress, perceptions of meaning and purpose of life, and the positive psychosocial impact of illness. Pre- and posttest measures of the three quantitative measures were compared using three Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: The current study did not yield statistically significant changes in the three measures of psychosocial wellbeing in response to the occupation- and group-based intervention. However, individual measures of distress, meaning and purpose of life, and the positive psychosocial impact of illness demonstrate a need for occupation-based intervention addressing psychosocial wellness. Discussion: Although measures of psychosocial wellbeing between pre- and posttest data collection did not identify significant change, findings from this study provide guidance for ongoing research in occupation-based cancer survivorship care.
Date
2023-07-21
Citation:
APA:
Kreis, Heidi.
(July 2023).
Social and Emotional Impact of Group Engagement in Occupations Among Cancer Survivors
(Master's Thesis, East Carolina University). Retrieved from the Scholarship.
(http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13156.)
MLA:
Kreis, Heidi.
Social and Emotional Impact of Group Engagement in Occupations Among Cancer Survivors.
Master's Thesis. East Carolina University,
July 2023. The Scholarship.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13156.
June 27, 2024.
Chicago:
Kreis, Heidi,
“Social and Emotional Impact of Group Engagement in Occupations Among Cancer Survivors”
(Master's Thesis., East Carolina University,
July 2023).
AMA:
Kreis, Heidi.
Social and Emotional Impact of Group Engagement in Occupations Among Cancer Survivors
[Master's Thesis]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University;
July 2023.
Collections
Publisher
East Carolina University