J Korean Acad Nurs.  2014 Jun;44(3):328-338. 10.4040/jkan.2014.44.3.328.

An Analysis of Cancer Survival Narratives Using Computerized Text Analysis Program

• Kim DS
• Park AH
• Kang NJ

• KMID: 1796157
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2014.44.3.328

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was done to explore experiences of persons living through the periods of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and self-care.
METHODS
With permission, texts of 29 cancer survival narratives (8 men and 21 women, winners in contests sponsored by two institutes), were analyzed using Kang's Korean-Computerized-Text-Analysis-Program where the commonly used Korean-Morphological-Analyzer and the 21st-century-Sejong-Modern-Korean-Corpora representing laymen's Korean-language-use are connected. Experiences were explored based on words included in 100 highly-used-morphemes. For interpretation, we used 'categorizing words by meaning', 'comparing use-rate by periods and to the 21st-century-Sejong-Modern-Korean-Corpora', and highly-used-morphemes that appeared only in a specific period.
RESULTS
The most highly-used-word-morpheme was first-person-pronouns followed by, diagnosis.treatment-related-words, mind-expression-words, cancer, persons-in-meaningful-interaction, living and eating, information-related-verbs, emotion-expression-words, with 240 to 0.8 times for layman use-rate. 'Diagnosis-process', 'cancer-thought', 'things-to-come-after-diagnosis', 'physician.husband', 'result-related-information', 'meaningful-things before diagnosis-period', and 'locus-of-cause' dominated the life of the diagnosis-period. 'Treatment', 'unreliable-body', 'husband . people . mother . physician', 'treatment-related-uncertainty', 'hard-time', and 'waiting-time represented experiences in the treatment-period. Themes of living in the self-care-period were complex and included 'living-as-a-human', 'self-managing-of-diseased-body', 'positive-emotion', and 'connecting past . present . future'.
CONCLUSION
The results show that the experience of living for persons with cancer is influenced by each period's own situational-characteristics. Experiences of the diagnosis and treatment-period are negative disease-oriented while that of the self-care period is positive present-oriented.

Keyword

Neoplasms; Survival; Personal narratives; Computers; Analysis

MeSH Terms

Family Relations
Female
Humans
Male
Neoplasms/diagnosis/*psychology/therapy
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Professional-Patient Relations
Program Development
Self Care
User-Computer Interface

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