2.5 Intrusive Thoughts About Illness

According to Bower et al (2000), soon after treatment women prefer to get involved in a good communication with their parents and partner. They believe that interaction would minimise the extent of pain and fatigue and boost their recovery process. It is noticed that lack of communication becomes the reason of emotional distress in women. Moreover, the communication is considered as the fastest healing process because by getting involved in an interaction, the improvement process improves and the women recover quickly. However, lack of communication can affect their recovery process adversely due to the outcomes of the breast cancer treatment would be impacted badly.

2.5.5 Intrusive Thoughts about Illness

It is analysed from the research study

The theory of Lazarus (1993) is related to the appraisal, stress, and coping and the theory of Ursin and Eriksen (2004) is related to the cognitive behavioural coping that is being used as the theoretical framework in Papers I, II, and IV. The term coping is considered as the defence and it is originated from the psychoanalytic theory being introduced by Sigmund Freud. The theory reflected the processes for defence to be used by the ego for defending against the anxiety through the representation of unacceptable internal impulses. Freud (1979) further claimed that the ego used the processes for defence not for unacceptable internal impulses but also against the threats imposed externally. Different authors have reflected the concept of defence as different aspect from coping while reflecting it as harmful at different extents (Kim et al., 2010; Heim et al., 1997). Drageset, et al (2010) regarded the defences as the beneficial aspects for which they have reflected four defences referred to as mature and primitive. Wonghongkul, et al (2000) have differentiated ten dimensions with the defending and coping strategies being the opposite aspects, that is, the defence of repression as the counterpart for coping suppression and it is the conscious restraint of expression emotions.

The study of Knott, et al (2012) identified the important factors in coping strategies including social support and spirituality. The participants of studies revolving around the breast cancer have described the cancer being the cut in lives to be dealt with the journey of cancer as the consistent battle. The study of Cheng, et al (2014)provided that the participants reflected the factors for facilitation and hindrances to cope and such strategies included family, spouses, positive support from work, dependency on God, and sharing feelings with people living the similar experience, whereas, the hindering factors include the prominent body image and hair loss. The positive relationship with the complete reliance on God is evident on the participants with the belief that it is from him. The results of Pascoe and Edvardsson (2016) reflected that the belief in God enabled the participants to accept diagnosis while coping with the disease. The studies of such nature are conducted in different regions of the globe while reporting that religion offers hope to the ones suffering from breast cancer. It further highlighted the fact that it plays the role in facilitation of disease acceptance process. It is also found that there is a positive effect on the quality of the life of