Experiences and Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy among Thai Women with Breast Cancer: A Phenomenological Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60099/prijnr.2026.277607Keywords:
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, Breast cancer, Coping strategies, Lived experience, Gadamerian hermeneutic phenomenologyAbstract
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a frequent complication characterized by pain, numbness, and loss of function, which profoundly affects patients’ physical, emotional, and social well-being. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Thai women with breast cancer in coping with this neuropathy during and after chemotherapy. A descriptive phenomenological approach based on Husserl’s philosophy was employed. Twenty Thai women aged 36–73 years who received neurotoxic chemotherapy at a university-affiliated hospital in Southern Thailand participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews between October 2023 and September 2024. The data were analyzed following Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach, and trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Three essential themes emerged: (1) Living with distress from treatment, capturing participants’ struggles with bodily discomfort, emotional distress, and social withdrawal; (2) Moving through suffering toward adaptation, reflecting their process of endurance, hope, and meaning-making through faith, family, and information seeking; and (3) Regaining control through coping and management, describing efforts to restore balance through physical self-care, social connection, and spiritual strength. These findings reveal that chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy was a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing interrelated physical, emotional, social, and spiritual experiences. Understanding these perspectives underscores the importance of culturally sensitive and holistic nursing care that integrates ongoing symptom assessment, personalized education, and psychosocial and spiritual support to enhance patients’ well-being during cancer treatment.
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