Storying New Meanings of Health: A Narrative Analysis of Lifestyle Modification Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Healthy lifestyle adoption among breast cancer (BC) survivors remains a poorly understood process. This study aims to qualitatively examine the unique change trajectories of BC survivors partaking in a pilot healthy lifestyle intervention. Four BC survivors were interviewed longitudinally at four time points (before, during, after, and three-months after the intervention). A multiple-case study, narrative analysis was applied to interview text consisting of stand-alone narratives of each participant and thematic intersections to elucidate cross-participant experiences. The results revealed that the participants offered a unique style of authorship, characterized by diverse struggles, victories, and motivational insights organized around broad themes related to patterns of resistance and caring for others. The rich, storied accounts suggest experiences of personal growth and that existential concerns can be both motivating and deterring in relation to health behaviour change. This research provides a nuanced and comprehensive grasp of healthy lifestyle modification in the BC survivorship stage.