Lived Experience of Women Suffering from Breast Cancer about Meaning of Life: Evidence from Society of Iranian Women

Aims: Meaning of life is of great importance to promoting various dimensions of the quality of life in women with breast cancer. The current study aimed to find out and describe the experience of the meaning of life in women with breast cancer. Participants Methods: 22 women with breast cancer were selected using the purposive sampling method in this qualitative study. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews and then analyzed by conventional qualitative content analysis and Graneheim Lundman’s approach in MAXQDA software (ver. 10). Findings: Two themes and ten categories have appeared. Seven categories in the “development in the process of life” theme include: feeling the change in the life routine, achieving a better recognition of the life value, having life satisfaction despite the illness, hoping for and accepting that the illness will end, trying to cope with the illness, tolerating the pain and suffering from illness, worrying about future of the children, in the “the attempt to promote spiritual well-being” themes three categories: personal belief, spiritual contentment, and religious acts. Conclusion: The meaning of life in women with breast cancer is multidimensional. Due to the important roles of women in the family and even in society, the health system should take necessary measures and supporting actions to improve the meaning of life in these patients.