Purpose
Colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors face significant challenges after completing treatment, including returning to work, concerns about the future, and financial difficulties. Understanding how inner strength developed after treatment affects survivors’ lives is crucial for informing patient-centered care. This study explored the unique inner strength exhibited by CRC survivors during their transition to a “new normal.” Methods: We recruited 16 patients from Korea who had completed treatment, to explore their experiences of managing their health. We conducted a qualitative study from July 4, 2022 to July 25, 2022 using individual interviews and directed content analysis. Transcribed interview data were analyzed to interpret meaning from the data, consistent with the naturalistic paradigm. Results: Participants described their transition to a new normal by reframing the cancer experience, struggling to return to normal life, experiencing growth promoted by supportive relationships, and encountering both positive and negative life changes. Throughout these experiences as survivors, inner strength played a critical role in adapting to a new normal. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that inner strength serves as a dynamic psychological resource, enabling CRC survivors to reframe their illness, regain disrupted roles, and reconstruct a meaningful life despite ongoing physical and emotional challenges. In doing so, inner strength facilitates their adaptation to a new normal.

Purpose
This study investigated differences in inner strength, multiple identities, and quality of life among colorectal cancer survivors, considering gender and the presence of an ostomy. It also focused on identifying factors that influenced their quality of life.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, 170 colorectal cancer survivors were recruited. Inner strength, multiple identities, and quality of life were assessed through an online survey. Within each subgroup, comparisons were made in two ways: (a) between women and men; and (b) between ostomy and non-ostomy groups.
Results
The quality of life for colorectal cancer survivors was higher among men than women. For inner strength, men reported higher levels of anguish and searching, whereas women showed higher levels of connectedness. The quality of life was higher in the non-ostomy group than the ostomy group. However, the non-ostomy group had a higher level of anguish and searching than the ostomy group. Inner strength emerged as the most powerful factor influencing quality of life after adjusting for age and gender.
Conclusion
This study emphasizes the significance of inner strength in colorectal cancer survivors. It provides a deeper understanding of quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors by examining factors that influence it and considering how these effects differ based on gender and the presence of an ostomy. To improve the quality of life of colorectal cancer survivors, it is essential to comprehend the roles of factors such as gender and ostomy and develop individualized interventions tailored to their specific characteristics.

Citations

• The Role of Inner Strength in Korean Colorectal Cancer Survivors on the Journey from Treatment to New Normal: A Qualitative Study
  Hannah Yu, Eunjung Ryu
  Korean Journal of Adult Nursing.2025; 37(3): 332.     CrossRef
• Cultural Adaptation of a Web-Based Ostomy Care Intervention for Hispanic Cancer Patients and Caregivers: A Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)
  Xiaomeng Wang, Lixin Song, Amy Vondenberger, Fei Yu, Jia Liu, Roxana Delgado, Robert Svatek,  Natalia Villegas Rodriguez, Lurheinna Rosado Rivera, Mark Bonnen
  JMIR Cancer.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef

Purpose
This study aimed to compare the health expenditure and unmet health care needs and factors associated with these, in single-person households pre- and post-baby boomer generation, and of baby boomers.
Methods
This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the 2016 Korea Health Panel Study, which was conducted to investigate the factors associated with health expenditures and unmet healthcare needs of single-person households through hierarchical multiple regression analysis.
Results
The subjective health status of a single household showed a significant interaction with pre-baby boomers (β=.16, p=.045) in health expenditure. Identifying as men (OR=1.59, p=.046) and subjective health status (OR=1.90, p=.001) were statistically significant in terms of unmet healthcare needs. However, there was no significant interaction between pre-baby boomers and unmet healthcare needs.
Conclusion
Baby boomers are the first to be prepared for their later years in the current aging society. Despite a stable financial status due to vital economic activities, social support for baby boomers is inadequate. The rights guaranteed to family members under the system centered around kinship should also be guaranteed to single-person households.

Citations

• The impact of physical functionality and activity level on the self-rated health status of older adults living alone: An analysis of the mediating effect of social engagement
  Dajung Ryu
  Geriatric Nursing.2025; 63: 464.     CrossRef
• Socioeconomic disparities in hypertension and diabetes among older adults in South Korea: a trend analysis from a national survey, 2011–2023
  Bokyoung Choi, Jihee Choi, Jihwan Lee, Eunhee Choi, Soong-nang Jang
  Social Science & Medicine.2025; 382: 118350.     CrossRef

Purpose
This study aimed to compare the lifestyle, self-rated health, and mental health of breast cancer survivors with those of the healthy people through a propensity-matched comparison, and identify factors affecting the mental health of breast cancer survivors. Methods This study was a secondary analysis that used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), from 2015 to 2020. It included 47,118 participants, of which 134 breast cancer survivors and 268 healthy people were separated and analysed by 1:2 Propensity Score Matching (PSM), and complex sample logistic regression analysis was performed using SPSS and R programs. Results Statistically significant differences were found in smoking rate, walking exercise rate, cancer screening rate, daily energy intake, and self-rated health between breast cancer survivors and healthy groups. After PSM, there were significant differences in the ratio of perceived stress, suicide plan, suicide attempts, and mental health counseling experiences between the healthy group and breast cancer survivors. As compared to the healthy group, breast cancer survivors had a significantly higher risk of mental health issues by 2.19 times. Self-rated health, household income, and number of household members were significant influencing factors affecting the mental health of breast cancer survivors. Conclusion This study provides evidence of an increased mental health risk in breast cancer survivors compared with healthy women with no cancer. Mental health outcomes, such as stress, sleep disturbance, and suicidal ideation, have been reported post cancer treatment. Counselling and management strategies would be helpful for breast cancer survivors.

Citations

• Factors Associated with Stress among Employed Korean Cancer Survivors: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study Based on National Data
  Kisook Kim, Booyoung Oh
  Korean Journal of Adult Nursing.2023; 35(3): 254.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
To describe the performance in the health-promoting lifestyle and to identify the major factors affecting the health-promoting relationships between self care behaviors and health promoting lifestyle profile in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. METHOD: A convenience sample for this study was 172 pulmonary tuberculosis patients who have taken TB medications in urban city. The HPLP-ll was selected to measure the concept of health- promoting lifestyle because of the number of research studies conducted using both the original HPLP and the revised HPLP-ll. The statistical methods used in this study were t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression. RESULT: The differences of the HPLP-ll were found to have a significance of age, marital status, education level, and health service center. The level of self care behaviors was related positively to the level of health promoting lifestyle and their subcategories. Based on stepwise multiple regression analysis, the model that predicted factors included self care behaviors, age, health service center and education. CONCLUSION: After decades of decreasing rates, TB has reemerged as a serious national problem in Korea. The careful clinical management and more national concern of TB may help to improve the outcomes of many patients. The findings of this study suggest that TB patients who are more fulfilled in health-promoting lifestyles and self-care behaviors may be able to make better decisions regarding positive health-promoting behaviors.