title: Beyond survivorship? A discursive analysis of how people with pancreatic cancer negotiate identity transitions in their health.
abstract: We explored how people negotiate, and respond to, identity transitions following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Interviews with 19 people with pancreatic cancer were analysed using thematic discourse analysis. While discursively negotiating two transitions, 'moving from healthy to ill' and 'moving from active treatment to end-of-life care', participants positioned themselves as 'in control', 'optimistic' and managing their health and illness. In the absence of other discourses or models of life post-cancer, many people draw on the promise of survival. Moving away from 'survivorship' may assist people with advanced cancer to make sense of their lives in a short timeframe.
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, Australia alexandra.gibson@uqconnect.edu.au.|QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandra F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia.
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Cruz
authors.affiliation: Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janda
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia.
authors.forename: Vanessa L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Beesley
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia.
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Neale
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, Australia.|QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia.
authors.forename: Ingrid J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Rowlands
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D000073859:Survivorship
keywords: cancer; context; coping; critical health psychology; illness; qualitative methods; survivorship