Dynamique des réseaux personnels à l’épreuve des maladies graves et de longue durée

The ways the personal networks of cancer patients operate have seldom been studied. We analyze here how the personal relationships and networks of people with serious and long-term illnesses are activated. We adapted the “quantified narrative method” to the study of 12 cases. A total of 317 personal relationships were mobilized by these patients in order to access different types of resources: emotional support, help with daily tasks, information on the disease or on cancer care protocols, etc. The patients’ personal networks appear to be very flexible depending on the phases of cancer treatment. The networks are activated especially during the care phase, at key moments such as surgery or the beginning of chemotherapy. In addition, the nature of the relationships also evolve during the illness: colleagues turn into counselors and certain family members become daily life assistants. In some cases, relationships fall apart, sometimes breaking up entirely.