Illness Meaning-Making in an Oncology Support Group: A Longitudinal Lexical Correspondence Analysis of Group Discourse

Living with cancer involves an ongoing effort to make sense of experiences that disrupt identity, relationships, and future expectations. Meaning-making is embedded in interpersonal and healthcare contexts, including psychosocial support settings where illness experiences are shared with others. This exploratory longitudinal study examined the evolving configuration of illness meanings in an oncology support group. Verbatim transcripts from 19 sessions involving 11 women with recent or ongoing cancer treatment were analyzed using Lexical Correspondence Analysis across four temporal blocks, with speaker roles as illustrative variables. Descriptive analyses of group climate, working alliance, and open-ended responses contextualized discursive findings. Two semantic dimensions organized group discourse: one contrasting illness as situated experience with experiential elaboration, and the other emotional elaboration with embodied experiences of safety. After Benzécri’s adjustment, the two dimensions accounted for 33.86% of the explained inertia. Their salience varied across temporal blocks rather than linearly. Illness-related meanings remained salient while becoming embedded within experiential, relational, and embodied configurations. Group process data indicated engagement, low conflict, and collaboration, while open-ended responses highlighted normalization, belonging, emotional safety, emotional resonance, coping resources, and facilitator support. The study contributes to process-oriented psycho-oncology research by examining how illness meanings are negotiated within a support-group.