Process of finding meaning in work among Japanese cancer survivors

Abstract

This study investigated how Japanese cancer survivors adapt to their bodies and jobs and find meaning in their work while dealing with various mental distresses after a cancer diagnosis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 working cancer survivors. The analysis of the interviews using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach generated 38 concepts, 12 subcategories, and 3 categories. The process by which cancer survivors found meaning in their work included three stages: “questioning the self,” “restarting life,” and “integration of work and life.” They embarked on a new life journey, determined to live as cancer survivors. Their journey can be described as a process in which cancer survivors seek the meaning of life and work through their cancer experience and foster their life careers while gradually acquiring these meanings.