Conectar
To explore how persons with cancer construct and socially position themselves in online blogs. Clarifying the discursive practice of self-construction can deepen healthcare professionals' understanding of how persons with cancer perceive themselves and their place in society.
Mixed qualitative and quantitative design using corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis.
Online blogs active between 2015 and 2023 were evaluated. Google search with keywords: ‘Blog about cancer’ was conducted. Corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis, following Fairclough's framework, was used to analyse data from four persons with cancer living in Norway.
The analysis identified three discursive practices in which bloggers constructed themselves: a discourse of a person's existence, a discourse of norms, and a discourse of a paternalistic system. The bloggers constructed themselves as being trapped in their own bodies, changed and vulnerable individuals who should conform to the expected behaviours, and not being seen and heard by the healthcare system.
The bloggers with cancer struggled between holistic and dualistic ideology, wishing to separate their bodies from themselves and constructed themselves as changed persons. Moreover, they struggled with societal expectations and adapted themselves to a paternalistic healthcare system, despite their desire to be seen and heard as individuals.
This study investigated the experiences of patients living with cancer, offering valuable knowledge for nurses, other healthcare professionals, and the government. The study uncovered that persons with cancer constructed themselves as changed persons and felt vulnerable socially and within a paternalistic healthcare system. These results may provide a stimulus for further discussions on the patient roles in cancer treatment and how to meet their needs for care and treatment.
This study adhered to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines.
No patient or public contribution.
FreshRSS 