title: Sharing experiences in a support group: men's talk during the radiotherapy period for prostate cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers in men, is often treated with radiotherapy, which strains both physical and mental health. This study aimed to describe the experiences of men living with prostate cancer shared within conversational support groups during a course of radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine men participated in one of two groups that met six or seven times, led by a professional nurse. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes in the recorded group conversations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis resulted in six themes: living with a changing body, being in the hands of others, learning to live with the disease, the importance of knowledge, everyday life support, and meeting in the support group. The men discussed a wide variety of bodily experiences and described support from healthcare professionals, relatives, friends, and the support group as crucial to their recovery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Meeting men in a similar situation, sharing experiences of living with the disease, and feeling allied to each other were important to the men in our study. The conversational support group provided the patient with prostate cancer a forum where sharing was made possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Öster
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hedestig
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klingstedt
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lindh
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013548:Sweden