Revealing relationships: The role of self-disclosure and marital intimacy in the post-traumatic growth of cervical cancer patients-A qualitative study
Positive psychological changes in cancer patients have been shown to positively influence disease progression and enhance quality of life. Based on this, the present study explores the psychological dynamics facilitating post-traumatic growth (PTG) in cervical cancer patients, specifically examining the roles of self-disclosure and marital intimacy in this process. This was a descriptive qualitative study.Twelve patients with cervical cancer were recruited from Nantong, China to participate in this study. Data were collected between October 2022 and August 2023 and analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step analysis. In this study, six thematic keywords were extracted: "Traumatic reactions", "Psychological breakdown", "Need for self-disclosure", "Enhanced marital intimacy", "Cognitive restructuring and life changes", and "Current needs and future expectations". Both self-disclosure and marital intimacy played pivotal roles in facilitating PTG among cervical cancer patients. Nurses should focus on fostering positive psychological changes in cervical cancer patients-specifically, self-disclosure and marital intimacy play significant roles in facilitating post-traumatic growth. This suggests that fostering self-disclosure and marital intimacy could be important therapeutic goals to enhance psychosocial well-being and quality of life in cervical cancer patients.