Life Re-adjustment Experiences of Older Women Long-term Breast Cancer Survivors: A Phenomenological Study Lee, Hyun Ju Advisor : Prof. Kim, Hyun Lye, Ph.D. Department of Nursing Graduate School of Chosun University Purpose: This study aimed to explore...
Life Re-adjustment Experiences of Older Women Long-term Breast Cancer Survivors: A Phenomenological Study Lee, Hyun Ju Advisor : Prof. Kim, Hyun Lye, Ph.D. Department of Nursing Graduate School of Chosun University Purpose: This study aimed to explore the meaning and fundamental structure of the life re-adjustment experiences of older women long-term breast cancer survivors using Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological approach. Methods: This study employed a descriptive phenomenological design guided by Colaizzi's seven-step phenomenological method. Participants were 14 women aged 65 years or older who had survived for at least 5 years after the completion of active treatment for breast cancer. They were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling from a metropolitan city in South Korea. Data were collected through in-depth interviews; each participant was interviewed one to three times. All interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed following Colaizzi's seven-step procedure. Results: Through the analysis, a total of 42 themes, 14 theme clusters, and 7 categories were identified. The seven categories, reflecting the temporal and existential trajectory of readjustment, were as follows: ‘A shaken sense of life stability and loss of treatment decision-making due to the cancer experience’, ‘Readjusting daily life to the limitations of a weakened body’, ‘Diminished femininity and reconstruction of daily life following changes in body image’, ‘Ongoing economic burden and the reality of dependence after survival’, ‘Selective reconstruction of relationships for psychological stability’, ‘Reflection on life while enduring the fear of recurrence and accepting death’, and ‘Ego integrity through everyday gratitude and social contribution.’ Conclusion: The re-adjustment of older women long-term breast cancer survivors was identified as a continuous and complex process of reconstructing everyday life within the altered conditions of aging, bodily frailty, changes in body image, economic burden, dependence, relational change, fear of recurrence, and existential reflection. Their survivorship was not a simple return to their pre-illness life, but an ongoing movement toward ego integrity through accepting changed physical, emotional, social, and existential conditions. Therefore, nursing interventions for this population should extend beyond symptom management to include comprehensive support for treatment decision-making, psychological distress, altered body image, femininity-related concerns, economic burden, dependence-related anxiety, relational changes, fear of recurrence, and existential concerns. Keywords: Breast Cancer Survivor, Aged, Women, Re-adjustment, Qualitative Research