Are Healthcare Professionals in Norway Confident in Talking about Life-threatening Illness with Cancer Patients and their Relatives?

The study analyzed the personal and behavioral characteristics of cancer patients in the context of having a psychological profile with a certain level of adaptation. Based on informed consent in Medical- psychological center of Vinnitsa National Pirogov Memorial Medical University and Vinnytsa Regional Clinical Oncology Clinic during 2015-2019 years 288 cancer patients were examined. Assessment of personality traits conducted using the Freiburg Personality Inventory, FPI-B, behavioral patterns - Ways of Coping Questionnaire, WCQ by R. Lazarus and S. Folkman. Cancer causes the actualization of psychological constructs and the stress-protective mechanisms involved in overcoming stress. In families with impaired family adaptation, a higher incidence of patients with maladaptive personality and behavioral profiles was found. Patients with a disharmonious profile are at risk for developing psychological maladaptation in the stressful situation of a life-threatening illness. The personal and behavioral profile of the cancer patient is an important criterion for the choice of medical-psychological help and should be taken into account when applying psychological interventions to the patient and his immediate family (family).

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Validation of the “Quality of Life in Life-Threatening Illness—Family Carer Version” (QOLLTI-F) in German-speaking carers of advanced cancer patients

Supportive Care in Cancer ◽

10.1007/s00520-014-2272-6 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 (10) ◽

pp. 2783-2791 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sophie Schur ◽

Alexandra Ebert-Vogel ◽

Michaela Amering ◽

Eva Katharina Masel ◽

Marie Neubauer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Advanced Cancer ◽

Family Carer ◽

Advanced Cancer Patients ◽

Life Threatening Illness ◽

German Speaking ◽

Life Threatening

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Psychometric evaluation of the German version of the Life Attitude Profile–Revised (LAP-R) in prostate cancer patients

Palliative & Supportive Care ◽

10.1017/s1478951508000199 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 119-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Anja Mehnert ◽

Uwe Koch

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Psychometric Evaluation ◽

German Version ◽

Life Threatening Illness ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Valid Instrument ◽

Life Threatening

ABSTRACTObjective:There has been an increasing interest in the measurement of patients efforts to find meaning during the experience of a life-threatening illness. The aim of this study was to validate the German version of the Life Attitude Profile–Revised (LAP-R), a multidimensional measure of meaning and purpose.Methods:A total of 511 prostate cancer patients with an average age of 64 years filled in the questionnaire during outpatient follow up care (response rate 70%).Results:Five of the original six dimensions were replicated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis: Coherence, Existential Vacuum, Choice/Responsibleness, Death Acceptance, and Goal Seeking. The Purpose dimension was not replicated. Most LAP-R subscales showed good internal consistencies with Cronbach's α between .80 and .82, whereas the reliability for Existential Vacuum (α = .69) and Goal Seeking (α = .74) was less sufficient, but still acceptable. Results show significant concurrent associations between all LAP-R dimensions and measures of emotional distress, coping, and health-related quality of life; however, moderate correlations were found only for Existential Vacuum and depression, and inversely for depressive coping and the mental health subscale.Significance of research:The German LAP-R is a reliable and valid instrument that can be recommended for further use in research and clinical cancer care.

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Exploring the therapeutic value of hope in palliative nursing

Palliative & Supportive Care ◽

10.1017/s1478951510000155 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 353-358 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Karimah Alidina ◽

Ildico Tettero

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Nursing Practice ◽

Multidimensional Model ◽

Advanced Cancer Patients ◽

Life Threatening Illness ◽

Dying Patients ◽

Therapeutic Value ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Essential Resource

AbstractHope is a multi-dimensional concept that is integral to a dying person's needs. It is an essential resource that assists individuals with a life-threatening illness to cope during times of intense physical and psychological distress. The objective of this article is to explore and analyze the therapeutic value of hope. The phenomenon of hope will be explored through the analysis and application of Dufault and Martocchio's Multidimensional Model of Hope (MMH) to a clinical scenario. Factors determining hope in cancer patients as well as interventions that can foster hope in dying patients will be identified. Discussion includes examination of literature gaps, relevance to nursing practice, and practical strategies to engender hope and thereby enhance quality of life (QOL) in advanced cancer patients.

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Who needs the concept of spirituality? Human beings seem to!

Palliative & Supportive Care ◽

10.1017/s1478951507070162 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 105-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

WILLIAM BREITBART

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Human Beings ◽

Recent Issue ◽

Advanced Cancer Patients ◽

Scientific Rigor ◽

Personal Attack ◽

The Past ◽

Life Threatening Illness ◽

Life Threatening

Well, it's finally happened. I've been attacked in the scientific literature (Salander, 2006). Well, just to clarify, it wasn't a personal attack, but rather an attack of the highest and most noble order: an attack on the scientific rigor of the conceptual underpinnings of my recent work on meaning and spirituality in advanced cancer patients (e.g., Breitbart, 2002). To be honest, and a bit less grandiose, it was not an attack against me alone, but rather a set of critical comments aimed at a growing number of investigators who have been publishing papers (a 600% increase over the past 10 years) dealing with religious or spiritual aspects of life-threatening illness (Stefanek et al., 2005). The critical comments by Dr. Par Salander of the Department of Social Welfare, Umea University, Sweden, in a recent issue of the journal Psycho-oncology (Salander, 2006) challenge the need for and the validity of the concept of spirituality.

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Psychotherapy and Behavioral Interventions in Palliative Care

Psychosocial Palliative Care ◽

10.1093/med/9780199917402.003.0009 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 91-102

Author(s):

William S. Breitbart

Keyword(s):

Palliative Care ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Advanced Cancer ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

Psychosocial Interventions ◽

Advanced Cancer Patients ◽

Behavioural Interventions ◽

Life Threatening Illness ◽

Life Threatening

A range of psychotherapeutic and behavioural interventions have been demonstrated to be effective and useful for patients struggling with advanced life-threatening illness. Despite lack of evidence for prolonged survival, psychosocial interventions have been shown to be effective in decreasing depressive symptoms and suffering in advanced cancer patients. This chapter provides an overview of the commonly used, effective individual, group, and family psychotherapy modalities among advanced cancer patients and their families.

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Modification in the Oncology Field during COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i33a31781 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 141-150

Author(s):

Fatema Turkistani ◽

Aseel Bin Sawad

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Cancer Of The Bladder ◽

Abrupt Changes ◽

Risk Of Progression ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Related Mortality

Background: COVID-19 outbreak impacted all healthcare specializations including the oncology field. Objective: To discuss in detail the varied effects of COVID-19 on the oncology field. Methods: For this narrative review, the researchers relied only on accredited and peer-reviewed resources. As such, the references of this paper were mostly taken from Google Scholar and online repositories, such as PubMed, which hosts the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Science Direct, JSTOR, and The Lancet. Results: COVID-19 and the necessity of physical distancing have significantly changed the practice in the oncology field. The use of telehealth is widely adopted, physicians are recommended to consider other forms of treatment, and decisions on immediate cancer treatment depend on the level of risk of progression with cancer care delay. Cancer treatment delay is causing the highest mortality rate for patients who are suffering from cancer of the bladder, lungs, ovary, stomach, and esophagus. COVID-19 has shifted the focus of healthcare professionals away from other life-threatening diseases, like cancer. In the United Kingdom, it has been projected that there is at least a 20% increase in the expected cancer-related mortality rate. This is due to abrupt changes in diagnosing and treating cancer patients, physical distancing protocols, economic downfall, as well as the public's behavior in opting for medical assistance. Conclusion: With the spread of COVID-19, the situation has become more difficult for cancer patients. The mortality rate for cancer patients has worsened during COVID-19. Health professionals working in the oncology field are also devastated by COVID-19.

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The OBJECT Metaphor in the Conceptualisation of Cancer in Malay Women’s Narratives

International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature ◽

10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.8n.5p.131 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 131

Author(s):

Nur Sabrina Zafiran Mohd Jamil ◽

Sabariah Md Rashid ◽

Zalina Mohd Kasim

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Current Paper ◽

Conceptual Metaphor Theory ◽

Source Domain ◽

Women's Narratives ◽

Life Threatening Illness ◽

Metaphor Theory ◽

Life Threatening

Our conceptualisation of life-threatening illness such as cancer is said to be highly metaphorised and often grounded in some fundamental contrastive categories of experience in the physical environment. As such, some studies have revealed the use of different metaphors, such as WAR, JOURNEY and GAME in cancer related discourse. Related to this, the current paper seeks to examine the use of the OBJECT metaphor in Malay women’s narratives on cancer, utilising the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) as propounded by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). This dimension of metaphor has not been explored before among Malay women specifically on cancer. It illustrates some examples of the relevant metaphorical expressions and discusses how the source domain OBJECT structures the women’s thinking of cancer. Findings of the study indicate that conceiving cancer in terms of a heavy object, an unwanted object, and as a gift provides insights into the women’s reality in coping with this life-threatening illness. The OBJECT metaphor structured in the women’s narratives highlights not only their conception of the disease, but also their expectation and optimism in coping with the illness. Findings of the study could be useful for health professionals and caretakers in that a more effective communication could occur between them and cancer patients, which, in turn, could lead to a better understanding of cancer patients’ experiences.

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