Abstract

More than 7,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in South Korea and many of them live long as cancer survivors. To date, no research has investigated Korean women's coping process with breast cancer. This study thus was aimed to explore and describe the processes of coping with breast cancer among Korea women using a grounded theory methodology. Seventeen women aged between 30 and 63 with breast cancer who underwent cancer treatment in a rural cancer hospital participated in an individual face-to-face interview. All interviews were conducted in Korean, tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to the grounded methodology. Open coding, axial coding, and theoretical sampling of the categories were proceeded in data analysis. The overriding theme was "accepting and enduring the transient suffering with a lowered mind." Two sub-themes were "clear one's mind of distraction and live unboundedly as water flows down," and "make up one's mind to accepting reality." The findings are mediated by Korean cultural concepts such as "lowering one's mind" and "enduring life-suffering." The findings highlight that a patient' successful coping with breast cancer mandates the care provider's culturally congruent awareness and understanding. (Korean J Str Res 2008;16:305∼315)

• Keywords: Breast cancer, Qualitative, Coping, Culture, Korea