Overlooked and underutilized: the critical role of leisure interventions in facilitating social support throughout breast cancer treatment and recovery.
Breast cancer is a life event experienced by many women and is one that impacts various aspects of a woman's life including her occupational and family roles. A social worker is often an important part of a woman's health care team following a breast cancer diagnosis as well as throughout treatment, providing assistance in helping women to cope with negative social psychological effects associated with the illness experience. The purpose of this article is to provide social workers with an opportunity to consider the utilization of empirically established interventions such as social support from the relatively unknown field of leisure science. Through semi-structured interviews with eight women, the role and meaning of leisure and social support in the lives of women with breast cancer were explored. The findings indicated these women experienced and perceived social support through leisure activities with friends and family during and following treatment and also through their volunteer work following treatment. The research can help social workers understand the potential role of leisure interventions in meeting the needs of women with breast cancer throughout their illness experience. Implications for social work education are also highlighted.
Shannon
Charlene S
CS
Faculty of Kinesiology, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Frederiction, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada. cshannon@unb.ca
Bourque
Debra
D
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D009674:Nova Scotia; D012944:Social Support; D012949:Social Work, Psychiatric / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D014838:Volunteers