Power dynamics and integrative treatment modalities in breast cancer patients

This thesis focused on a set of twenty women living with breast cancer in Humboldt County, California. This study explores the power dynamics between the patients, doctors, and healthcare providers, as well as the integrative treatments used, to explore such sociological components as power, authority, oppression, the "sick role," and gender in the illness narratives. I utilized a mixed-methods approach, through quantitative short paper-based surveys and qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews. With this thesis, I build on prior qualitative analyses of breast cancer narratives and stories, and aspects of conventional or complementary and alternative medicine. This research uses grounded theory to examine the influential themes that were present within the levels of power and within the diverse treatments in this population. The results indicate the different levels of power dynamics that were present, as well as the categories of integrative treatment modalities in people living with breast cancer. The key findings are that breast cancer survivors in Humboldt County experience different challenges to their power-from-within, power-over-participants, and power-with-participants. Having access to integrative treatments was seen to benefit many participants and support personal power.