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Relations with Objects: An exploration of heritage and personal object handling to enhance wellbeing and recovery in patients undergoing treatment for cancer

O'Donoghue, Katie; (2025) Relations with Objects: An exploration of heritage and personal object handling to enhance wellbeing and recovery in patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London). Green open access

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Abstract

Effective and affordable therapies are essential to assist cancer patients in managing the emotional and psychosocial distress associated with their illness and treatment. This project explored heritage and personal objects as a resource, with participants framing their understanding of heritage objects and how they might relate to their well-being. It is evidenced that heritage objects from museum collections can act as a distraction to hospitalised patients and also be ‘used’ by patients to explore their feelings but there have been no longitudinal studies to see patient’s relation to, and use of, objects over time, or studies which have looked at the use of objects in the context of the hospital and the range of objects that patients encounter within it. This research aimed to explore the dynamics of handling collective heritage objects i.e., museum objects along with patients’ personal heritage objects which, have significant meaning to them, during their treatment trajectories. The research aimed to help participants interact with objects in ways that encourage them to share stories about their personal connections to those objects. The research investigated patients’ use of such objects as therapeutic resources in the re-forming or support of self/ personhood and how this impacts their psychological well-being during illness. This is explored through ethnographic qualitative methods such as in-depth semi-structured interview object handling sessions, participant observation and field notes including sketches. Data analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) further supports evidence that individuals can utilise objects to provide them with comfort, furthermore, certain objects can also act as transitional objects, over the course of the treatment trajectory, fostering a sense of identity and connection to others during challenging times. Additionally, some objects were identified as having a talismanic nature, in that the participant felt the object provided a sense of protection. It was also identified that other participants also experienced the objects as a positive influence in the clinical environment. Likewise, they experienced spaces in the clinical environment that were creative or nonmedical as ‘healthier’ compared to the clinical, ‘ill’ spaces. There was a majority of participants who linked the object-handling experience to themes relating to time and temporality, death and generational continuity. The research investigated patients’ use of such objects as therapeutic resources in the re-forming or support of self/ personhood and how this impacts their psychological well-being during illness.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Qualification: Ph.D
Title: Relations with Objects: An exploration of heritage and personal object handling to enhance wellbeing and recovery in patients undergoing treatment for cancer
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request.
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL EGA Institute for Womens Health
UCL
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10205717
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