scholarly journals ‘Made with love, filled with hope’. Knitted Knockers and the materiality of care: Their impact on the women who make and receive them

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 83-93
Author(s):  
Juliette MacDonald ◽  
Andrea Peach
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Breast Cancer Surgery ◽  
Surgical Reconstruction ◽  
Personal Communications ◽  
The Relationship

This reflective case study sets out to ask ‘How do participatory textile-making projects engage and impact participants and recipients?’ by focusing on Knitted Knockers UK, a global network of knitters who voluntarily create prosthetics for women following mastectomy or lumpectomy. The article examines the choices women are faced with following breast cancer surgery, and considers ‘softer options’ to surgical reconstruction, including knitted prosthetics. Drawing on qualitative data gathered via personal communications and social media, personal experience of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and feminist discourse with relation to breast cancer and the body, the authors evaluate the relationship between well-being, healthcare and digitally connected knitting communities. They offer reflections on the materiality of care the Knitted Knockers represent and consider the role these hand-knitted prosthetics can play in providing a sense of community and emotional well-being for both the creators and the recipients of these knitted gifts.

scholarly journals Spiritual and Psychological Well-Being of Soldiers in Military Barracks: A Case Study in Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hosein Fadaei ◽  
Mahya Torkaman ◽  
Jamileh Farokhzadian
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
P Value ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Combination Studies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Military Barracks

Background: Spiritual well-being is the newest dimension of health, which is placed along with the physical, mental, and social aspects of health. Since soldiers in military barracks are exposed to multiple psychological pressures, their psychological well-being can be affected. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the spiritual well-being and psychological well-being and the relationship between these two concepts among soldiers in military service. Methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conducted at a military barracks in Iran in 2019. The study population included 301 soldiers selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using three questionnaires for data on sociodemographic, psychological well-being, and spiritual well-being. Results: The results showed that soldiers' spiritual well-being (Mean ± SD: 100.6 ± 12, 30, range: 50 – 120) and Psychological well-being (PWB) (Mean ± SD: 85.85 ± 7.91, range: 48 – 104) were at high levels. Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between spiritual well-being and psychological well-being (P value< 0.001, r = 0.41). Conclusion: Considering the correlation between spiritual well-being and psychological well-being among soldiers in military service, it is possible to improve their psychological well-being by promoting spiritual well-being. In this regard, more interventional and combination studies are recommended in the field of psychological well-being and spiritual well-being.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Emotional and Cognitive Vulnerability in Iranian Women With Breast Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad H. Choobin ◽  
Vida Mirabolfathi ◽  
Bethany Chapman ◽  
Ali Reza Moradi ◽  
Elizabeth A. Grunfeld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Cognitive Vulnerability ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Emotional Vulnerability ◽  
The Impact

The psychological cost on emotional well-being due to the collateral damage brought about by COVID-19 in accessing oncological services for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has been documented by recent studies in the United Kingdom. The current study set out to examine the effect of delays to scheduled oncology services on emotional and cognitive vulnerability in women with a breast cancer diagnosis in Iran, one of the very first countries to be heavily impacted by COVID-19. One hundred thirty-nine women with a diagnosis of primary breast cancer answered a series of online questionnaires to assess the current state of rumination, worry, and cognitive vulnerability as well as the emotional impact of COVID-19 on their mental health. Results indicated that delays in accessing oncology services significantly increased COVID related emotional vulnerability. Regression analyses revealed that after controlling for the effects of sociodemographic and clinical variables, women’s COVID related emotional vulnerability explained higher levels of ruminative response and chronic worry as well as poorer cognitive function. This study is the first in Iran to demonstrate that the effects of COVID-19 on emotional health amongst women affected by breast cancer can exaggerate anxiety and depressive related symptoms increasing risks for clinical levels of these disorders. Our findings call for an urgent need to address these risks using targeted interventions exercising resilience.

“Fractions of Men”: Engendering Amputation in Victorian Culture

1997 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 742-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
The Body ◽  
Altered State ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Victorian Culture ◽  
After Effects ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Relationship

In 1866, theAtlantic Monthlypublished a fictional case study of an army surgeon who had lost all of his limbs during the Civil War. Written anonymously by American neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell, “The Case of George Dedlow” describes not only the series of wounds and infections which led to the amputation of all four of the soldier's arms and legs but also the after-effects of amputation. Reduced to what he terms “a useless torso, more like some strange larval creature than anything of human shape,” Dedlow finds that in disarticulating his body, amputation articulates anatomical norms. His observation of his own uniquely altered state qualifies him to speak in universal terms about the relationship between sentience and selfhood: “I have dictated these pages,” he says, “not to shock my readers, but to possess them with facts in regard to the relation of the mind to the body” (1866:5). As such, the story explores the meaning of embodiment, finding in a fragmented anatomy the opportunity to piece together a more complete understanding of how the body functions—physically and metaphysically—as a whole.

“Know That You’re Not Just Settling”: Exploring Women Athletes’ Self-Compassion, Sport Performance Perceptions, and Well-Being Around Important Competitive Events

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Margo E.K. Adam ◽  
Abimbola O. Eke ◽  
Leah J. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Women Athletes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Collective Case Study ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Performance Perceptions ◽  
Difficult Times ◽  
The Relationship

Self-compassion, an adaptive self-attitude, is a resource that women athletes use during emotionally difficult times and as a way to reach their potential. The relationship between self-compassion and sport performance, however, is complex. The role and experience of self-compassion within perceived important competitive events are important to explore, as athletes face unique pressures and stressors in these meaningful sport experiences. This collective case study describes women athletes’ self-compassion, sport performance perceptions, and well-being around a self-identified important competitive event. Competitive women athletes (N = 9) participated in two one-on-one interviews, before and after their important competitive event. Results from the holistic, functional, and thematic analyses are represented by holistic case descriptions and an overarching theme, Continuing to Excel in Sport, and subthemes, Reframing Criticism and A Determined Approach. In important competitive events, women athletes utilize self-compassion to promote performance perceptions and well-being when preparing, competing, and reflecting to excel in sport.

scholarly journals The influence of coping types on post-traumatic growth in patients with primary breast cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91
Author(s):  
Tomomi Fujimoto ◽  
Hitoshi Okamura
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Japanese Version ◽  
Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Proactive Coping ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Mental Well Being

Abstract Background The physical and mental impacts of breast cancer diagnosis on women are substantial. Several studies have investigated the negative mental health effects of breast cancer. However, in recent years, there has also been growing interest in post-traumatic growth, a positive response to stressful events. Considering positive psychology focuses on such virtues, proactive coping theory was chosen as a theoretical guide. This study investigates how breast cancer patients’ post-traumatic growth is associated with proactive coping and mental well-being. Methods A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 80 breast cancer patients aged 20–70 years attending an outpatient clinic. The survey was conducted using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Japanese version (PTGI-J), Proactive Coping Inventory-Japanese version and the Japanese version of the General Health Questionnaire. Single regression and multiple regression analyses with PTGI-J as the dependent variable were performed. Results The multiple regression analysis extracted proactive coping (P = 0.006), emotional support seeking (P = 0.004) and avoidance coping (P = 0.001) as factors associated with post-traumatic growth in breast cancer patients. Conclusions These results suggest that using proactive coping for conflicts caused by a breast cancer diagnosis and temporary avoidant coping for daily stresses during the treatment process may enhance post-traumatic growth while preventing deterioration in mental well-being. Additionally, seeking emotional support is important for post-traumatic growth.

Exploring the relationship between the body self and the sense of coherence in women after surgical treatment for breast cancer

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin J. Jabłoński ◽  
Beata Mirucka ◽  
Joanna Streb ◽  
Agnieszka J. Słowik ◽  
Robert Jach
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Self ◽  
The Relationship

Associations between morning–evening chronotype, fatigue, and QOL in breast cancer survivors.

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 246-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oxana Palesh ◽  
M. Melissa Packer ◽  
Holly George ◽  
Cheryl Koopman ◽  
Pasquale F. Innominato
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cancer Treatments ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Morning Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Range Of Values

246 Background: Emerging evidence suggests that circadian disruption is associated with cancer and cancer treatments. Chronotype is defined as a behaviorally manifested preference for a certain timing of sleep and activity. Previous studies have revealed that living out of sync from one’s innate chronotype can have detrimental effects on one’s health. Although there has been research examining the associations between chronotype and health, not much is known about the relationship between chronotype, fatigue, and QOL in cancer survivors. Methods: 68 Breast cancer survivors completed questionnaires to assess their chronotype (Horne-Ostberg), to rate their fatigue (MDASI), and to evaluate their QOL (FACIT). The Horne-Ostberg questionnaire yields a range of values indicating survivors’ preference for early or late activity. The study sample was divided by terciles according to survivors’ “morningness” or “eveningness” preferences (i.e., chronotypes). Results: Morning chronotype was associated with significantly less severe tiredness and drowsiness as well as significantly better physical well-being and fatigue subscale scores as compared to evening chronotype. Tiredness median (M) scores were highest for evening chronotype (M=5.5), moderate for mid-range chronotype (M=4.5), and lowest for morning chronotype (M=3.0), a significant difference (p=0.046). Drowsiness scores were highest for evening chronotype (median=6.0), moderate for mid-range chronotype (M=4.0), and lowest for morning chronotype (M=3.0), p=0.046. The median score for physical well-being was significantly lower for evening compared to morning chronotypes (22.5 vs. 25.0, p=0.038) and morning types reported significantly better health in respect to fatigue compared to evening types (40.5 vs. 35.5, p=0.045). Conclusions: Survivors with early chronotype (early to bed, early to rise) reported less fatigue, drowsiness, and better overall physical well-being. While chronotype is believed to be genetically driven, certain behavioral, pharmacological, and bright light modifications can be used to help patients shift their circadian rhythm towards earlier morning type and may experience improvements in physical well-being.

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