‘It depends on how the relationship was before you became ill’: Black South African women's experiences of life partner support through the trajectory of cervical cancer

Abstract

Spouses are the primary source of support for married patients and patients suffering from gynaecological cancers and play a major role in the positive, or negative, management of the disease and treatment. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of life partner support among hospitalised women receiving treatment for cervical cancer at an academic hospital in Tshwane, South Africa. An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted using a convenience sampling method. Seventeen (n = 17) women were interviewed. The data were analysed using open coding and a template analysis style. The support women treated for cervical cancer received from their life partner varied. Some were fully supported while others received limited support and some were even abandoned. Both the women and their life partners were challenged in terms of giving and receiving support. How the support they received from their life partners influenced their quality of life is not known and should be the next exploratory step before designing and testing a support intervention to maximise the outcomes for these patients.