Post-traumatic growth in thyroid cancer patients after surgery:A qualitative study
Abstract:Objective: To gain insight into the real experiences of post-traumatic growth of thyroid cancer patients and to provide reference for optimizing postoperative care measures for thyroid cancer patients.Design: a qualitative study.Methods: Using a phenomenological study method in qualitative research, 15 patients within six months after radical thyroid cancer surgery in our hospital from March to April 2022 were interviewed in a semi-structured manner by purposive sampling, and the data were analyzed using the Colaizzi 7-step method.Results: Two first-level themes were summarized: (1) post-traumatic growth facilitators for thyroid cancer patients (cognitive processing, positive coping strategies, multiple sources of support); and (2) post-traumatic growth experiences for thyroid cancer patients (personal changes, improved relationships).Conclusion:Post-traumatic growth can occur in thyroid cancer patients after surgery, and healthcare professionals should guide patients’ positive psychology and tap into their inner positive potential in order to promote healthy recovery and improve the quality of life of thyroid cancer patients.
Key words :thyroid cancer;post-traumatic growth;qualitative research;head and neck cancer;positive psychology
Key points :(1)As a physical and psychological disease, thyroid cancer cannot develop without the influence of psychosocial factors.Patients’ psychological status affects their disease prognosis and recurrence.Therefore, the psychological needs of thyroid cancer patients deserve external attention.
  1. Current research on surgical treatment of thyroid cancer tends to focus on cancer eradication, potential complications, and negative emotions, while positive growth seen in patients after surgery has been rarely reported.
  2. With the dual trauma of disease and COVID-19, thyroid cancer patients of all genders and ages exhibited varying degrees of post-traumatic growth.
  3. Previously, health education was focused on patients after hospitalization, but it is recommended that some level of knowledge be provided when patients are diagnosed.
  4. It is recommended that health care professionals should pay timely attention to the psychological condition of postoperative thyroid cancer patients, and can guide patients to make positive psychological adjustment and cope by identifying PTG-promoting factors.
Acknowledgments :Special thanks to the government for their financial support.Thanks to each author for their contributions.Thank you to the hospitalized patients.