Introduction

Comprehensive breast cancer care includes not only diagnosis, staging, and treatment of cancer but also assessment and management of the physical, psychological, social, and informational needs, collectively known as supportive care. Several studies have documented the importance of addressing supportive care factors among breast cancer survivors. However, there appears to be a paucity of research concerning African American breast cancer survivors (AABCS). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe and understand the patient-centered supportive care factors among self-identified AABCS.

Method

Using a qualitative descriptive approach, an open-ended question explored supportive care factors that were used by N = 155 AABCS.

Results

Four supportive care factors were identified: faith, supportive structures, optimism, and access to information.

Discussion

An understanding of these factors might facilitate discussion between survivors and the health care team. The resultant effect could also inform and promote the delivery of culturally specific health care to address the supportive care needs among these women.

Background

While there is an abundance of cancer survivorship research among various racial/ethnic groups, there is a paucity of research on survivors of African descent. To date, the meaning of survivorship has not been reported exclusively among African American breast cancer survivors (AABCS).

Purpose

The purpose was to describe and understand the meaning of survivorship among community-dwelling AABCS, mostly recruited from breast cancer support groups.

Method

Using a qualitative descriptive approach, an open-ended questionnaire explored the meaning of survivorship among 155 AABCS. An analysis of the content was performed.

Results

Among AABCS, survivorship meant having a strong spiritual base, thriving, being resilient, and being altruistic. The survivors self-identified with and embraced the termsurvivor.

Conclusions

These results provide an important understanding of the perspectives and meaning of survivorship among AABCS and may assist in developing cancer survivorship care plans that are relevant, responsive, patient centered, and culturally appropriate.

This study examined the relationships of biological and psychosocial predictors as contributing factors to the psychological functioning among breast cancer survivors. A sample of (N = 155) African American breast cancer survivors were recruited from California. A general linear model was utilized to examine the relationships. Biological and psychosocial risk factors were significant predictors for anxiety and depression. These predictors can be viewed as contributing factors to the psychological well-being of this cohort. Anxiety and depression are often under-recognized and subsequently undertreated in survivors. Understanding the predictors of depression and anxiety is necessary for incorporating a multidisciplinary approach to address this problem.