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Qualitative Health Research
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Disclosing a Cancer Diagnosis to Friends and Family: A Gendered Analysis of Young Men's and Women's Experiences

Shona Hilton

Medical Research Council, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Carol Emslie

Medical Research Council, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Kate Hunt

Medical Research Council, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Alison Chapple

University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom

Sue Ziebland

University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom

Little is known about how young adults disclose their cancer diagnosis to family and friends, and whether there are similarities or differences between men and women. This article compares young adults' experiences of disclosing a cancer diagnosis, drawing on narrative interviews with 37 respondents aged 18 to 34 years. Most respondents were open about their diagnosis, and there were striking similarities in the difficulties that men and women described and in their desire to protect relatives. However, men made up most of the minority of respondents who were more secretive about their diagnosis. Men also made more explicit connections between their gendered identity and disclosure; worries about being perceived differently by peers resulted in some men hiding their diagnosis and others using humor to pre-empt sympathy. These findings are discussed in the context of gender stereotypes of "expressive" women and "stoical" men.

Key Words: cancer • communication • gender • illness and disease • experiences • young adults

This version was published on June 1, 2009

Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 19, No. 6, 744-754 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1049732309334737
SAGE Open article

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