Abstract
Abstract The purposes of this study were to clarify the feelings, thoughts, and coping strategies of adult male patients with cancer chemotherapy drugs-induced alopecia upon their return to work, and review the necessary nursing practices. We conducted semi-structured interviews with six adult male patients who returned to work without a full recovery from alopecia, and analyzed the responses using Krippendorffʼs content analysis method. The results indicated that the responses could be categorized into five main themes: “feeling embarrassed at looking abnormal,” “the hair loss is unrelated to employment,” “the hair loss coping method depends on the relationship with oneself and others” “earnest desire to self-image recovery,” and “hair loss camouflage as consideration to others.” “Feeling embarrassed at looking abnormal” and “hair loss camouflage as consideration to others” were new findings from the current study that were different from those previously published. The results indicated that it may be necessary for nurses to support these patients by performing practical training so that a patient can prepare necessary materials and achieve a sense of control before his return to work, by stressing the health benefits of wearing a wig, and by providing objective comments highlighting the differences between the patientʼs current and pre-alopecia self-image.
