Narrative recognition and identification: a qualitative pilot study into reading literary texts with advanced cancer patients

Purpose: Patients with advanced cancer can experience their disease as a contingent life event. The sudden interruption of their life stories can obscure life goals and disrupt meaning making. In the context of the research project “In search of stories,” we aim to investigate the reading and discussion of selected stories which present ways of dealing with a contingent life event. In addition, we examine the use of a newly developed guide for reading these exemplary texts together with advanced cancer patients. Methods: This qualitative study describes the experiences of five patients with advanced cancer who participated in a guided reading and discussion about selected literary texts. The intervention consisted of reading a selected story, after which each patient was interviewed, using the reading guide as a conversation template. The interviews were then thematically analyzed for their conceptual content using a template analysis. Results: All five conversations showed some form of recognition in reaction to the chosen text, which led to personal identification of experiences of contingency, such as loss of life goals, impending death, or feelings of uncertainty. Besides the important role of identification, revealed by the responses to the questions in the reading guide, the discussion of the text helped them articulate their own experience and sources of meaning. Diverse worldviews came to the fore and concepts of meaning such as fate, life goals, quality of life, and death. Conclusions: First experiences with our newly developed reading guide designed to support a structured reading of stories containing experiences of contingency suggest that it may help patients to express their own experiences of contingency and to reflect on these experiences. Implications for Cancer Survivors: The intervention tested in this study may contribute to supportive care for survivors with advanced cancer, but further research is needed to evaluate its effect on quality of life.