‘What would happen if I die in a foreign country?’: Indonesian migrant domestic workers’ experiences of personal uncertainty with cancer

Background Uncertainty, when perceived as a danger, can severely undermine a cancer patient’s recovery, resilience, and quality of life. Managing this uncertainty is therefore vital to well-being. While research on uncertainty and coping is growing, little attention has been given to vulnerable groups, such as migrant domestic workers (MDWs). Therefore, this study explores how Indonesian MDWs in Hong Kong experience and navigate the uncertainties arising following cancer diagnosis.

Method This qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews with 12 Indonesian MDWs diagnosed with cancer or being under observation due to suspicion of cancer (e.g., having cysts or lumps) in Hong Kong. The participants were selected by using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. The interviews conducted in Bahasa Indonesia were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and analyzed employing reflexive thematic analysis.

Results Our analysis, focusing on personal uncertainty, showed two primary forms: psychosocial and existential. Our participants managed these through four strategies, particularly reducing threatening uncertainty, maintaining uncertainty perceived as comfortable, increasing uncertainty to avoid distressing certainty, and adapting to chronic uncertainty.

Conclusion Their narratives of experiencing and managing uncertainty reveal resilience and a quiet strength that restored hope and agency amid adversity. These findings highlight how structural inequities shape illness experiences and point to the need for equity-oriented cancer care for migrant workers.