Psychological Resilience and Risk Perception in the Management of High-Risk Diseases: A Qualitative Case Study of a Cancer Patient

In the face of high-risk diseases such as cancer, understanding the psychological factors affecting patients' coping is of fundamental importance in improving the quality of care and designing supportive interventions. The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and internal case study method, focusing on the lived experience of a cancer patient in Iran in ۲۰۲۵; a case that is worth internal study due to its specific psychological characteristics and unique way of coping with the disease. The study aimed to deeply explore the dimensions of psychological resilience and risk perception from the perspective of an individual who has faced the multifaceted challenges of the disease. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that psychological resilience in this case, as a dynamic and contextual process, includes four main themes: redefining the meaning of life, using support resources (formal and informal), rebuilding individual and social identity, and actively accepting the disease conditions. Also, risk perception significantly interacted with individual beliefs, past experiences, information sources, and quality of relationship with the treatment team, and affected self-care behaviors and treatment decision-making. This study showed that resilience and risk perception, together, have a high capacity to enhance psychological stability and behavioral confidence in the face of chronic and high-risk diseases. The results provide actionable insights for designing culturally sensitive support programs that align with the psychosocial characteristics of Iranian cancer patients, particularly by emphasizing meaning reconstruction, family-based support, and patient-provider trust.

Keywords:

risk perception , Psychological Resilience , lived experience , content analysis , cancer