Jacqueline Galica1,2, Ziwei Liu3, Danielle Kain4, Shaila Merchant5, Christopher Booth6,7,8, Rachel Koven6, Michael Brundage6,7,8,9, Kristen R Haase10. 1. School of Nursing, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. jacqueline.galica@queensu.ca. 2. Division of Cancer Care & Epidemiology, Queen's Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Canada. jacqueline.galica@queensu.ca. 3. School of Nursing, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. 4. Division of Palliative Medicine, Departments of Medicine and Oncology, School of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. 5. Division of General Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. 6. Division of Cancer Care & Epidemiology, Queen's Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Canada. 7. Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Kingston, Canada. 8. Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. 9. Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. 10. School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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.
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.
Authors: Jennifer M Knight; Mallory R Taylor; Kelly E Rentscher; Elisabeth C Henley; Hannah A Uttley; Ashley M Nelson; Lucie M Turcotte; Natalie S McAndrew; Hermioni L Amonoo; Lathika Mohanraj; Debra Lynch Kelly; Erin S Costanzo Journal: Front Immunol Date: 2022-07-05 Impact factor: 8.786