Perspectives on Social Suffering in Interviews and Drawings of Palestinian Adults Crossing the Qalandia Checkpoint: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

"I Have No Hope": The Experience of Mothers in Polygamous Families as Manifested in Drawings and Narratives

Polygamy is associated with lower marital satisfaction and is known to involve sexual, physical, and emotional abuse on the part of the husband. Less is known about the experience of mothers in polygamous families. This study was designed to shed light on the experiences of women in polygamous families in a sample of 80 Israeli Arab mothers living in polygamous families who use social services, domestic violence agencies, and health centers. Mothers were asked to draw their experiences in their families and to provide narratives for the drawings. A phenomenological approach was used to analyze the drawings, and yielded five different pictorial phenomena: (1) pseudo-sweetness, (2) houses, (3) the absentee father and the estranged mother, (4) incorporation of graphic symbols and lettering that represented distress, and (5) growth and development. Most of the drawings were restricted and shallow, indicating a complex emotional state of despair and distress. The central feelings that emerged from the drawings were negative emotions of anger, sadness, loneliness, and powerlessness. While some women longed for romantic relationships with their husbands, others expressed the desire for revenge and justice. Dissociation and parentification, as central coping strategies, emerged from the drawings and the narratives. The findings are discussed theoretically and clinically.

Negative emotions and their management in Chinese convalescent cervical cancer patients: a qualitative study

Objective

The aim of the study was to understand the experience of negative emotions and coping styles of patients with cervical cancer during the rehabilitation period.

Methods

A descriptive qualitative research method was used. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 cervical cancer patients and the data were analysed using content analysis.

Results

The analysis identified three relevant themes. Theme 1: Negative emotions in convalescent cervical cancer patients mainly comprised fear of recurrence, worries about sex and feelings of inferiority. Theme 2: Patients used positive and negative coping styles to manage negative emotions. Theme 3: Patients expressed a strong need for rehabilitation information.

Conclusions

Patients with cervical cancer exhibited negative emotions during the rehabilitation period. To help these patients, medical staff should develop an understanding of their needs by communicating more with patients and providing them with targeted care to help them return to society more quickly.