Growth after Cancer: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Gender Differences in Survivor Outcomes

• In Event: 363 - Regular Session. Methods, Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative

Abstract

Researchers make extensive use of patient survey data to understand patient experiences with disease. However, there has been little examination of how gendered expectations for behavior may bias certain types of survey responses. Through a quantitative examination of survivor experiences with lymphoma—a cancer that equally impacts both women and men—we find that compared to men, women report greater posttraumatic growth and more positive impacts of cancer despite having lower health-related quality of life. A qualitative exploration of this phenomenon reveals that gender norms and expectations about masculinity and femininity shape how individuals experience illness and perform the role of patient and survivor. Interviews with survivors reveal that expectations about being a good patient and survivor are more aligned with expectations about femininity and more in conflict with expectations about masculinity. Gender norms discourage men from experiencing personal growth from cancer and encourage women to overemphasize the positive aspects of having had cancer. These findings indicate that viewing cancer as transformative is part of a gender performance that limits opportunities for individuals to experience and express a diverse range of reactions which, at times, increases the emotional burden on individuals. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods in the study of illness, this study gives new insights into the causes of gender differences in the reporting of patient outcomes regarding positive growth after illness. Findings from this research reveal the importance of recognizing the influence of cultural expectations about gender and illness when treating and studying cancer patients and survivors.

Authors

• Karen Marie Powroznik, Stanford University

• Karen S. Cook, Stanford University

• Irena Stepanikova, University of Alabama Birmingham