Article In the Shadows of Cancer. Leisure and Subjective Wellbeing of Breast and Ovarian Cancer Patients in Honduras, Nicaragua and Portugal Emilia Chamorro 1 and Margarida M. Barroso 2, *   Citation: Chamorro, E.; Barroso, M.M. In the Shadows of Cancer. Leisure and Subjective Wellbeing of Breast and Ovarian Cancer Patients in Honduras, Nicaragua and Portugal. Women 2021, 1, 297–311. https:// doi.org/10.3390/women1040025 Academic Editor: Mary V. Seeman Received: 19 October 2021 Accepted: 14 December 2021 Published: 17 December 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 1 School of Sociology and Public Policy, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal; eecld@iscte-iul.pt 2 Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology, School of Sociology and Public Policy, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal * Correspondence: margarida.barroso@iscte-iul.pt Abstract: In contemporary societies, a significant proportion of women will be affected by breast or ovarian cancer over the course of their lives. Dealing with illness is known to impact profoundly on the general quality of life of women, but this assessment is usually made in clinical terms, and less attention is given to the social determinants of quality of life for cancer patients, and to the implications of cancer for their subjective wellbeing. In this article, we specifically discuss the impact of being engaged in a leisure activity for the subjective wellbeing of women experiencing breast or ovarian cancer. Based on an exploratory comparative study among Honduras, Nicaragua and Portugal, we analyze the influence of leisure engagement, country of residence, treatment and social support for the subjective wellbeing of women dealing with cancer, proposing a discussion on the intersections of wellbeing, leisure and illness. The research was supported by a survey applied to 128 women diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. Significant relationships were found amongst subjective wellbeing, leisure engagement, country and support from patients’ associations. Results highlight the need to consider the effects of leisure among cancer patients, and the importance of institutionalized support to improve their quality of life. Keywords: subjective wellbeing; health; cancer; leisure; Honduras; Nicaragua; Portugal 1. Introduction From diagnosis to treatment, and from treatment to recovery, cancer patients pass through a variety of physical and emotional stages with impact on their general quality of life and subjective wellbeing (hereafter, SWB). Emotional turmoil, low self-esteem, changes in relationships with others, anxiety, rage, depression, loss of subjective control, inactivity or loss of energy are some of the psychosocial implications pointed out by the literature as affecting women when dealing with cancer [1–4]. Other than bringing emotional burden, when cancer strikes, the body undergoes physical transformations related to the effects of medicine, surgery and other types of interventions. Physical obstacles add up to the already existing challenges faced by women living with cancer, bringing diverse consequences in their lives. Some women have to undergo mastectomy or breast reconstruction, often understood as organ mutilation, requir- ing a recovery period and adaptation to changes in the body image [5,6]. Cancer-related lymphedema, which is the swelling of the arm after surgery, also affects the quality of life of these women [7,8]. Lymphedema causes chronic pain, limited arm mobility, decrease in social functioning, challenges their body image and causes emotional distress, given that the shape of the arm may suffer significant changes [7,9]. All these alterations lead to a change in daily routines, often implying being away from work and from their normal activities, including the ones associated with leisure. Women 2021, 1, 297–311. https://doi.org/10.3390/women1040025 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/women