Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Rehabilitation Counseling

First Advisor

Bruce Reed

Second Advisor

Noreen Graf

Third Advisor

Saara Grizzell

Abstract

This pilot study explored the perceptions of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and struggles they experienced when returning to work or maintaining employment. It sought to understand the impact of cancer treatment on work demands and how or if that impacted the survivor’s perception of her employment status. This study found significant differences in the RTW perceptions for women with breast cancer in the areas of marital status, physical effort, work strategies, and work-related help. The most significant difference were the differences between women with partners and women without partners. Surprisingly, women without partners, while they do experience less success in some areas, experience more success with managing work strategies than women with partners.

The qualitative question produced a very surprising and empowering result as well. While there are negative perceptions along with the positive perceptions for the three themes of Feelings, Perceptions, and Change, the positives were as strong as the negatives. This seems to indicate that struggles, that are found with cancer, are also empowering and impact one’s learning such as how to prioritize self-care over less important obligations such as overtime or taking work home.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Joy D. Cain. https://proquest.com/docview/3240632652

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