The Motivation Journey: A Grounded Theory Study on Female Cancer Survivors’ Experience of a Psychological Intervention for Quality of Life

Ilaria Durosini, Lucrezia Savioni, Stefano Triberti, Paolo Guiddi and Gabriella Pravettoni
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Ilaria Durosini: Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
Lucrezia Savioni: Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
Stefano Triberti: Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
Paolo Guiddi: Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
Gabriella Pravettoni: Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Psychological interventions are proposed to cancer survivors to support their quality of life against the emotional trauma of cancer and the side effects of treatment. Psychological interventions often require patient engagement and commitment to activities that could be more or less demanding in terms of lifestyle change (e.g., psychotherapy, sports). Analyzing participant motivations (personal aims, expectations, needs) prior to participation is useful to predict their adherence to the intervention as well as final outcomes. Yet, participant motivations may evolve during the intervention because the intervention experience turns out to be meaningful and positively challenging. The present study aimed to obtain a preliminary understanding of the process of motivation change in female cancer survivors who participated in a sport-based intervention to promote quality of life by employing a grounded theory approach. Data analysis took place alongside data collection and according to the procedure of grounded theory (“open coding”, “axial coding”, and “selective coding”) in order to describe the process of motivation change during women’s participation in psychological intervention for quality of life. On 14 women interviewed, 13 reported changing their motivation to participate during the first months of involvement, mostly changing from individualistic to group-related motivations (i.e., from self-care to friendship with other participants and enriching group membership), and from physical to psychological growth (i.e., pursuing not only physical health but also self-fulfillment). The discussion explains the preliminary aspects of the motivation change process and highlights the importance to monitor motivation dynamics within psychological interventions.

Keywords: motivation; cancer survivors; psychological intervention; patient engagement; quality of life; physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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