The perceived social support by Iranian women with breast cancer: a qualitative study

The Significance of Religion and Spirituality Among Turkish Women Surviving Breast Cancer Without Treatment: A Qualitative Study

The health of breast cancer survivors is a global concern. It is crucial to adopt a holistic approach when understanding their journey from illness to wellness in order to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. This study focused on the experiences of Muslim women who had overcome breast cancer and were adapting to life post-treatment. Snowball sampling was used to select the participants for this qualitative study. Fifteen women who had successfully completed breast cancer treatment and been declared cancer-free were interviewed. These interviews were semi-structured, using open-ended questions to explore their experiences in-depth. The interviews were conducted by phone, and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The study identified four main themes, nine subthemes, and 41 codes. The main themes were as follows: (a) a life changed by cancer and the difficulties encountered; (b) transition from active treatment to treatment-free living; (c) coping mechanisms; and (d) future hopes and expectations. The findings highlighted the survivors' desire to move past their experience of cancer and normalize their lives, as well as emphasizing their need for support. The participants shared detailed accounts of their journey, the obstacles they encountered during this transition, and the critical role of religion and spirituality in overcoming these challenges. Understanding and effectively managing the experiences of women after breast cancer treatment is vital not only for improving survival rates but also for facilitating their healing process.

The mediating effect of perceived social support between family resilience and meaning in life in breast cancer patients

PURPOSE

The beneficial effects of family resilience and meaning in life on patients are established, but limited is known for the effect of perceived social support. We aim to investigate the impact of family resilience on the meaning of life among Chinese patients with breast cancer (BC) and to further detect whether perceived social support mediated this association.

METHODS

From February to June 2022, we conducted this cross-sectional study with 276 women who were diagnosed with BC in a tertial hospital in Guangdong province, China. The Chinese version of Meaning in Life Scale (C-MiLS) was used to measure the meaning in life. The Chinese version of the family resilience assessment scale (C-FRAS) and the perceived social support scale (PSSS) were adopted to obtain the family resilience and perceived social support, respectively. The mediating effect of perceived spousal support was estimated using the bootstrapped confidence interval (CI) via IBM SPSS AMOS 22.0.

RESULTS

The mean scores were 60.79 ± 11.63 for meaning in life, 82.08 ± 11.48 for family resilience, and 62.72 ± 12.19 for perceived social support, respectively. Our results indicated the positive correlations of meaning in life with family resilience (β = 0.822, P < 0.05) and perceived social support (β = 0.886, P < 0.05). The perceived social support exerted the mediating effect in the relationship between family resilience and meaning in life (β = 0.368 [95%CI, 0.274, 0.450], P < 0.001), accounting for 54.6% of the variance in meaning in life.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight that family resilience and perceived social support should be enhanced for BC patients to improve their meaning in life. In particular, the association between family resilience and meaning in life was positively mediated by perceived social support. Thus, interventions for improving family resilience and perceived social support might be useful in easing psychological distress and improving meaning in life in individuals with BC.

Psychiatric nurses' perception of dignity in patients who attempted suicide

BACKGROUND

Maintaining the dignity of patients who attempted suicide is one of the caregivers' main ethical duties. Yet, in many cases, these patients are not treated with dignity. The concept of dignity is abstract, and there is no research on the dignity of suicidal patients. So, the present study is done to investigate psychiatric nurses' perception of dignity in patients who attempted suicide.

OBJECTIVE

The present study explores the concept of dignity in patients who attempted suicide from the perspective of psychiatric nurses.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The present study is a qualitative, descriptive work of research.

PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT

A total of 20 psychiatric nurses from 2 hospitals affiliated with a university of medical sciences in the southeast of Iran were selected via purposeful sampling.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The Research Ethics Committee of the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences approved the study's protocol, and ethical principles were followed in general.

FINDINGS

From the findings of the study, three main themes, namely " respect for personal; identity," "management of psychological tension," and "compassion-focused therapy," with 12 sub-themes were extracted.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

In the perspective of caregivers, patients who attempted suicide need to be cared for in supportive environments with compassionate and respectful behaviors to control their psychological tensions. These conditions would maintain such patients' dignity and result in appropriate behavioral outcomes. Policy-makers and administrators can use the present study's findings to create an appropriate clinical environment in which the dignity of patients who attempted suicide is properly maintained.

A qualitative study about colorectal cancer patients and spousal caregivers' experience and needs during COVID-19: implications for self-efficacy intervention

Objective

This study aims to understand the experiences of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and their spousal caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to refine a self-efficacy (SE) intervention for these couples.

Methods

A descriptive phenomenological approach was used in this study. Data were collected from 11 CRC couples. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the Colaizzi strategy.

Results

Three themes and eight subthemes emerged: (1) Get and contribute support, (2) Life's challenges, and (3) Journey of reconstruction. The CRC couples encountered escalating challenges in coping with cancer during COVID-19. At the same time, they have received considerable support and developed confidence in rebuilding themselves in the process. Healthcare providers are advised to focus on giving appropriate support to CRC couples, so they can go further.

Conclusions

This study gave insights into healthcare providers on the experiences of CRC couples and the development of SE intervention program to support these couples: (1) initially providing caregiving training for spousal caregivers and psychological support for patients, (2) encouraging self-care for CRC couples in the middle stage, (3) guiding them to view life positively in the later stage, and (4) assessing their situation in time to identify their needs and to provide support. Healthcare providers are recommended to increase flexibility in the SE intervention program delivery format to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on CRC couples.

Perceived social support and coping style as mediators between resilience and health-related quality of life in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer: a cross-sectional study

Background

Breast cancer may impair health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We examined the mediating roles of perceived social support (PSS) and coping style (CS) in the relationship between resilience and HRQoL in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

Methods

Following a cross-sectional design, 431 patients completed a survey at two hospitals in Shaanxi Province, China. Four validated self-report measures assessed HRQoL, psychological resilience, PSS, and CS. A one-sample t-test analyzed differences between resilience, PSS, and CS in breast cancer patients and the corresponding norm. Multivariate linear regression analyzed the independent predictors of HRQoL. The mediating roles of PSS and CS between resilience and HRQoL were investigated using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results

Participants had significantly lower scores for resilience and PSS, and higher scores for the avoidance and resignation CSs than their corresponding norm. SEM analysis showed resilience had significant direct effects on PSS (Bs: 0.59, 95% CI 0.49, 0.68, P = 0.003), CS (confrontation: 0.53 (0.44, 0.62), P = 0.001; resignation: − 0.66 (− 0.74, − 0.57), P = 0.002), and HRQoL (Bs range from 0.44 to 0.63, P < 0.05). Resilience had significant indirect effects (Bs range from 0.09 to 0.27), and PSS and CS had significant direct effects on HRQoL (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients had lower resilience and PSS, and higher negative CSs, suggesting that PSS and CS mediated the influence of resilience on HRQoL. A multimodal intervention program focusing on PSS and CS might improve the positive influences of resilience on HRQoL in breast cancer patients.