The perils of a vanishing cohort: A study of social comparisons by women with advanced ovarian cancer

Objective: To examine the role social comparisons play in the experience of ovarian cancer patients and to consider the implications this may have for provision of supportive care services for ovarian cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal qualitative study of women with advanced ovarian cancer in Sydney, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women with advanced ovarian cancer over a period of 2.5 years. Social comparisons made by 13 study participants in 33 interviews were extracted and analysed using coding categories based on social comparison theory. Results: Participants favoured downward contrasts and lateral comparisons and avoided downward identifications, upward contrasts and upward identifications. Participants expressed a preference for avoiding contact with ovarian cancer patients, for the company of “normal” others, for normalizing information and information that facilitated upward identifications. Conclusions: We suggest that social comparisons made by women with ovarian cancer are influenced by specific clinical factors associated with their diagnosis – in particular their status as a member of a “vanishing cohort” – and argue for further research examining the specific comparison needs and preferences of patients with advanced disease and types of cancer with poor prognoses. Practice implications: These findings raise questions about uniform approaches to the provision of cancer care and suggest that further research may be required to ensure that interventions are appropriately tailored to the supportive care needs of patients with different types and stages of disease. KEYWORDS Cancer; Oncology; Ovarian neoplasms; Social comparison theory; Social support; Self-help groupsNational Health & Medical Research Council Project Grant 40260