"If I have a limited amount of time left, this is not how I want to spend it": A qualitative descriptive study of factors influencing daily life participation following a cancer diagnosis

Objective: Following a cancer diagnosis, restricted participation in daily life is common. Restricted participation can be temporary or long lasting. The aim of this study was to characterize how daily life participation is impacted following a cancer diagnosis.

Methods: Eligible individuals included adults (>18 years) with any stage/grade brain, breast, colorectal, or lung cancer in any phase of treatment or post-treatment. Participants completed a semi-structured interview about how their life participation was impacted following their cancer diagnosis. Data were analyzed through team-based thematic analysis.

Results: Forty adults, 10 per disease category, participated. Four themes were identified that supported or hindered daily life participation: (1) self-expectations, (2) expectations of others, (3) awareness of mortality, and (4) symptoms and side effects of cancer. Participants discussed how their cancer experience resulted in a reprioritization of what they valued doing in their life. However, many survivors struggled to adapt and described a tension between their need to adapt to their current life circumstances and their contrasting desire to stay connected with their pre-cancer selves through daily life participation. The mental health challenges associated with decreased participation were also outlined by participants.

Conclusions: Cancer survivors' daily life participation is influenced by expectations from themselves and others, awareness of mortality, and disease symptoms/side effects. Future interventions can target these domains to supports survivors' life participation.