Coping strategies among middle-aged and older cancer survivors in Japan: A qualitative study

We investigated the coping strategies used in everyday life by middle-aged and older cancer survivors in Japan. Sixteen Japanese volunteers participated in one-to-one semi-structured interviews. The interviews focused on the respondents' descriptions of how they felt and what they did after having been diagnosed with cancer. Although having been diagnosed with cancer, many survivors reported having made identifiable positive adjustments in lifestyle and ways of thinking, such as turning to family and friends for psychosocial support, as well as visiting shrines to find spiritual peace. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to social work practice.