AUTHOR=Almegewly Wafa Hamad , Alsoraihi Maha Hamed 

TITLE=“Your Ovaries Are Expired, Like an Old Lady” Metaphor Analysis of Saudi Arabian Women’s Descriptions of Breast Cancer: A Qualitative Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.924934

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.924934

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Assessing and understanding the language that women use to express physical, emotional, and social concerns of breast cancer experiences can often be overlooked, even though there is evidence that effective communication between cancer patients and health care providers improves quality of life. This study aims to assess the use of metaphors in conceptualizing breast cancer experience lived by Saudi Arabian women. In this qualitative study, a purposeful sample of 18 breast cancer patients at an oncology outpatient’s clinic in Saudi Arabia were invited to engage in face-to-face interviews. Data was analysed using Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP) and constructed into four themes: Dark Force, Battling Imminent Death, Dreaming and Waking, and Inner and Outer Transformation. Identifying metaphors may be beneficial towards improving communication between health care providers and breast cancer patients, who often experience difficulties expressing their needs.