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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Public Mental Health

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1625611

This article is part of the Research TopicMental Health of Vulnerable Groups: Predictors, Mechanisms, and InterventionsView all 28 articles

Psychosocial Experiences of Prostate Cancer Survivors after Treatment: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

Provisionally accepted
LiFei  DaiLiFei Dai1Lin  TanLin Tan2Dong  LvDong Lv2Yongbo  ChenYongbo Chen2Liangyou  TangLiangyou Tang2Zhang  JialiZhang Jiali1Xin  YiXin Yi1Xiaoli  LiuXiaoli Liu3*Junlian  XiangJunlian Xiang2*
  • 1School of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Nursing, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
  • 2Department of Urology, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, China
  • 3Department of Proctology, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, China, Deyang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Prostate cancer, the second most common male malignancy worldwide, treatmentrelated complications cause both physical dysfunction and psychosocial sequelae, significantly impairing quality of life. Now requires integrated biopsychosocial rehabilitation beyond diseasefocused treatment, comprehensive assessment of psychosocial adaptation and illness perception is essential for developing evidence-based, patient-centered rehabilitation strategies to optimize posttherapy recovery.Objective: This study aims to systematically review and synthesize qualitative evidence on posttreatment psychosocial experiences in prostate cancer patients, thoroughly analyze patients' lived experiences and coping strategies, and provide an evidence-based foundation for establishing a tiered psychosocial support system and developing clinical intervention protocols.Methods: This systematic review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for qualitative meta-aggregation, with reporting structured according to the ENTREQ statement. Evidence was graded using the ConQual approach and critically appraised with the JBI Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). We systematically searched six major English databases for qualitative or mixed-methods studies investigating psychosocial experiences in posttreatment prostate cancer patients, with the literature search updated to February 28, 2024. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, followed by collaborative thematic synthesis to identify core themes.Results: A total of 22 studies from 12 countries were included, with 65 findings extracted and categorized into 4 synthesized findings consisting of 8 distinct categories: (1) Psychological and emotional responses (fear and anxiety responses, depression and emotional distress); (2) Healthcare information and systemic barriers (disease-related information needs, barriers in healthcare systems);(3) Social support and interpersonal adaptation (support system needs, social role and relationship adaptation); (4) Internal adaptation and external actions (internal psychological adjustment, external coping behaviors).Conclusions: Prostate cancer survivors face multifaceted psychosocial challenges during posttreatment recovery, with psychological and social responses impacting rehabilitation outcomes. Inadequate social support systems and gaps in healthcare information emerge as major barriers to recovery. To address these issues, healthcare providers should enhance communication effectiveness, while policymakers need to strengthen social support networks, government and corporate sectors should implement targeted policies, and family members should provide empathetic understanding and active encouragement, collectively fostering comprehensive patient support.Registration: This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024537363).

Keywords: Prostatic Neoplasms, Psychosocial factors, Post-treatment, qualitative research, Systematic review

Received: 09 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Dai, Tan, Lv, Chen, Tang, Jiali, Yi, Liu and Xiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Xiaoli Liu, Department of Proctology, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, China, Deyang, China
Junlian Xiang, Department of Urology, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, China

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