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- Andershed, Birgitta, et al.
(author)
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Being a close relative of a dying person : development of the concepts "involvement in the light and in the dark"
- 2000
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 23:2, s. 151-159
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The current study is based on an earlier article in which relatives' involvement in care was described as involvement in the light or involvement in the dark. Involvement in the light was characterized as the relative being well informed and experiencing a meaningful involvement. The relatives involved in the dark felt uninformed, that they were groping around in the dark when they tried to support the patient. The present study analyzed further the meaning of involvement in the light and involvement in the dark, and investigated whether two different care cultures, the relationship with the staff, and a rapid course of illness influence the involvement of relatives. Relatives of 52 patients who died, 30 at a surgical department and 22 in a hospice ward, were interviewed after the patients' deaths. All the relatives of the patients in the hospice ward and 13 of those in the surgical department were judged to be involved in the light. Of the relatives judged to be involved in the dark, 12 either had a sick relative with a rapid course of illness or felt that the sick relative had died unexpectedly. A pattern was clearly observed: The relatives involved in the light described being met with respect, openness, sincerity, confirmation, and connection, whereas the opposite was experienced by those involved in the dark.
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| 4. |
- Arman, Maria, et al.
(author)
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The face of suffering among women with breast cancer : Being in a field of forces
- 2002
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Williams. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 25:2, s. 96-103
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Through qualitative interviews, the suffering experiences of women with breast cancer and their significant others were disclosed. Seventeen women with different stages of breast cancer and 16 significant others from 4 different care cultures in Sweden and Finland participated. Five of the women had advanced metastatic breast cancer, and 12 had a localized disease. Mean age was 48 years. As a methodology, a team approach, inspired by the Vancouver School of Doing Phenomenology, was used. The findings elucidate how the suffering experience touched the women's inner existence and values. This can metaphorically be described as a "field of force" and affected everything in the women's lives, including their views of themselves and their relationships. Existential questions were raised about life and death and the meaning of life. In their suffering, the women's dependency upon significant others, as well as healthcare personnel, was prominent. Suffering related to healthcare was a strong theme. Different faces of suffering related to breast cancer may still be unknown by healthcare professionals working in cancer care.
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| 6. |
- Carlsson, Marianne, et al.
(author)
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Perceived quality of life and coping for Swedish women with breast cancer who choose complementary medicine
- 2001
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In: Cancer Nursing. - PHILADELPHIA : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; , s. 395-401
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the present study, which is part of a major clinical controlled study of the life situation of women with breast cancer, was to compare two groups of women concerning perceived quality of life and coping. The women were treated in two different cancer treatment programs: complementary treatment, which included anthroposophic therapy, and conventional cancer treatment. A total of 120 women were included, 60 women treated with anthroposophic medicine, and 60 individually matched women treated with conventional medicine only. Quality of life was measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30, and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. Coping was measured by the Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale. The results showed that the women who chose anthroposophic therapy perceived their quality of life to be lower on admission to the hospital and showed more anxious preoccupation than the women in conventional medicine. It can be concluded that, due to the careful matching procedure, the women in the two groups are comparable in a medical sense but not from the perspective of quality of life and coping.
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| 8. |
- Elf, Marie, et al.
(author)
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Satisfaction with information and quality of life in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The role of individual differences in information preferences.
- 2001
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 24:5, s. 351-356
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Earlier studies have shown that patients are dissatisfied with the information they receive from doctors and nurses. The purpose of this study was to analyze satisfaction with information and quality of life in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, considering the patient's information preference. Data were collected during interviews with 30 consecutive patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The subject of the interviews was the satisfaction of patients with the information they received, and additional measures used were the Miller Behavioral Styles Scale and EORTC-QLQ-30. The results showed that 21 of 30 patients were satisfied with the information they received from health care. Married patients or cohabitants were satisfied more often than single patients. No significant differences in quality of life could be found between satisfied and dissatisfied patients. Regarding information preferences, the dissatisfied patients reported more information-avoiding behavior than those who were satisfied. The results must be interpreted cautiously because of the study's limitations, but one clinical implication can be stated: There is value in being aware of patients' information-seeking/avoiding behavior before starting to inform them.
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| 9. |
- Elmberger, Eva, et al.
(author)
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Men with cancer : Changes in attempts to master the self-image as a man and as a parent
- 2002
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 25:6, s. 477-85
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Little is known about men's experience of how cancer affects their role as a father. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of changes in these men's everyday family lives. The study had an interpretative descriptive design, utilizing the concept of transition as a fore structure. Eight men with different types of blood cancer and with children living at home were recruited for the study. Interviews, guided by the main components of the concept of transition, provided qualitative data for analysis. Through the interpretative process, the central theme--change in self-image as a man and as a parent--was generated. This theme consists of the subthemes gaining control, balancing emotions, subjective well-being, being open or not toward the family, and challenges in family life and to family well-being. The time after diagnosis influenced the process of transition. Self-image changes are more obvious shortly after diagnosis. Further study is needed to identify how nurses and other clinicians can assess the family's needs and support the parental role, especially in consideration of the findings of this study.
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