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Unintended consequences: the social context of cancer survivors and work

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Abstract

Purpose

This article describes the ways in which socioeconomic characteristics and workplace contexts shape the unintended consequences that cancer survivors can experience as they return to work. The study was conducted in an employment setting where there is a major focus on productivity and economic growth in the business sector.

Methods

Five focus groups (N = 33 participants) were conducted in 2012 in Singapore. Questions were directed at obtaining information related to the meaning of a job and reactions to return to work as a cancer survivor completes primary cancer treatment. A thematic analysis using a two-staged analytical process was conducted to identify (1) work-related challenges faced by survivors as a result of the interplay between their self-identity as someone with a critical illness and organizational structure, and (2) unintended social consequences (USCs) related to the interaction between the workplace and cancer survivor.

Results

Eight emerging themes of work-related challenges and unintended consequences were categorized. Fear of losing out by compromising one’s expectation, downplaying illness to avoid being a burden to others, working harder to meet expectations, and passive acceptance to perceived discrimination. Unintended consequences were also observed in relation to policies, procedures, and economic factors in the context of a heightened economically driven social climate.

Conclusions

This study contributes to the understanding of how cancer survivors perceive their work situation. These findings can inform health care providers, employers, and policy makers regarding the challenges faced by cancer survivors as they return to the workplace in a culture of a rapidly growing emphasis on economic concerns.

Implications for Cancer Survivorship

These findings offer a new perspective on the complexities that can occur when cancer survivors interact with their workplace. Awareness of the existence and types of unintended consequences in this context can help provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cancer survivor and work interface.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Fariza Salleh, Salfarizah Saleh, Jenna Teo, and Brandon Goh for their invaluable contributions to the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding

This work was supported by a Singapore Cancer Society Grant 2011 to Dr Mak.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Media and Social Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    Angela Ka Ying Mak

  2. Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Suwichit Chaidaroon & Fahimah Thalib

  3. Department of Psychosocial Oncology, National Cancer Center Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Gilbert Fan

Authors
  1. Angela Ka Ying Mak
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  2. Suwichit Chaidaroon
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  3. Gilbert Fan
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  4. Fahimah Thalib
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Ka Ying Mak.

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Mak, A.K.Y., Chaidaroon, S., Fan, G. et al. Unintended consequences: the social context of cancer survivors and work. J Cancer Surviv 8, 269–281 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-013-0330-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-013-0330-6

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