Associated factors of hope in cancer patients during treatment : a systematic literature review

Aim: To identify the associated factors of hope during treatment in cancer patients. Background: Hope is very important to cancer patients at all stages of the disease process. Hope is seen as an important coping mechanism. Most research about hope in cancer patients considered the end of life or in palliative care. Several and different factors are associated with hope. It is not yet sufficiently clear which factors are associated with hope during the treatment. Design: A systematic literature review of quantitative empirical studies on hope in cancer patients during treatment. Data Sources: Search in MEDLINE (PubMed interface), CINAHL (EBSCO interface), Psychinfo and Cochrane (January 2009-December 2018). Review Methods: Empirical quantitative studies were included regardless of the disease stage, written in English or Dutch, measuring hope from the perspective of cancer patients. Two authors independently screened all the studies and assessed their quality. Results: Thirty-three studies were included. Positive relationship has been established between hope and quality of life, social support, spiritual and existential well-being. Hope appears to be negatively associated with symptom burden, psychological distress and depression. There appears to be no relationship between hope and demographic and clinical variables. The relationship between anxiety and hope remains unclear. Conclusions: Hope primarily seems to be a process that takes place in a person's inner being rather than being determined from outside. Impact: Health professionals may want to focus on the meaning of hope for cancer patients in relation to the associated factors. A better understanding of the meaning of hope during treatment can be of great value in supporting cancer patients with regard to treatment decisions, psychosocial support, the experienced quality of life and symptom burden and any wishes they may have with regard to advanced care planning

Illness Experiences and Attitudes towards Medication in Online Communities for People with Fibromyalgia

Abstract: Fibromyalgia is a chronic disabling syndrome, and the legitimacy of its diagnosis is still debated. Internet and online communities may become a relevant resource for affected people. This present study aims to understand the role of online communities relating to fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients’ illness experiences and their attitudes towards medication. A qualitative content analysis based on the grounded theory approach was conducted on 19 conversations from an online forum, and 14 online interviews. Illness experience, lack of reference points, online communities, personal role and attitude towards medication were the five categories identified, with the search for recognition as the core category. The study highlighted that online communities represent a resource that allows users to express and share their needs, especially in terms of legitimacy and recognition

Models of collaboration between psychologist and family doctor: a systematic review of primary care psychology

open2noThe prevalence of psychological suffering is greater than the actual request for clinical consultation in Europe (Alonso et al., 2004). In Italy, no more than 5.5% of the population requested psychological assistance during lifetime (Miglioretti et al., 2008). There are different obstacles that prevent the access to mental health services, such as economic restrictions (Mulder et al., 2011), cultural prejudice (Kim et al., 2010), and lack of knowledge about the service providers that can answer to the patient’s psychological needs (Molinari et al., 2012). Therefore, the psychologist is often consulted as a last resort, only after everything else has failed, when problems have become severe, and thus requiring longer, more intensive, and expensive treatments. The introduction of the Primary Care Psychologist, a professional who works together with the family doctor, allows to overcome the above-mentioned problems and intercept unexpressed needs for psychological assistance. This professional role is operating in many countries since several years. In this study, current literature concerning different models of collaboration between physician and psychologist, in Europe and in Italy, was reviewed. A systematic search of Web of Science (ISI), Pubmed, Scopus, and PsychINFO was conducted using the initial search terms Primary Care Psychologist, Family Doctor, Primary Care, Collaborative Practice, and several relevant papers were identified. The review has shown the improved quality of care when mental health care is integrated into primary. Analyzing how different programs are implemented, results indicated that the more efficacious models of Primary Care Psychology are those tailored on the environment’s needs.The results of our systematic review stress the importance of the Primary Care Psychologist implementation also in Italy, to intercept unexpressed psychological needs and enhance clients’ quality of life.openFrancesca, Bianco; Enrico, BenelliBianco, Francesca; Benelli, Enric

Just a “Click” away from evidence-based online breast cancer information, advice and support provided by a specialist nurse: An ethnonetnographic study

Breast cancer has had, and will continue to have, a devastating impact on the lives of many Australian women, their families, friends and the wider community. The concomitant treatment of this disease places a considerable burden on the health care system and the supporters of the person diagnosed with this disease. While there are many government and non-government organisations that provide treatment and support services for the person with breast cancer, these services are usually provided in person either in the home or at the organisation’s offices. This study extended the information advice and support aspects of these services to the online or Internet based realm via the design and development of a breast cancer focused online support community www.breastcancerclick.com.au and explored the role of the expert nurse through the employment of a specialist breast care nurse as a member, moderator and health professional within this online community. This study used an ethnonetnographic approach, including online (on the Internet) and offline (face-to-face) methods, to explore the role of the specialist breast care nurse within the online, breast cancer support, community. The study was comprised of three phases, Phase One, the offline and online identification of the information, advice and support needs of Western Australian women with breast cancer and their Internet use; development of a website designed to meet those needs and to foster the development of an online support community; Phase Two, the employment and introduction of a specialist breast care nurse as a member and provider of evidence-based information, advice and support for online community members; Phase Three, the online and offline collection of data relevant to the role of the specialist breast care nurse within the online support community. The identification of the expert nurse as a linchpin in the patient’s care and communication has implications for future nursing practice and curricula as well as consumers of health care. Recommendations arose from the findings in relation to further research, nursing practice, education these recommendations indicate an innovative extension to expert nursing practice and together the elementary guidelines for health professional when developing an illness specific online support community foreshadow a future direction for nursing, in line with the digital age

Study of dyadic communication in couples managing prostate cancer: a longitudinal perspective

Objective : Cancer patients and partners often report inadequate communication about illness‐related issues, although it is essential for mutual support and informal caregiving. This study examined the patterns of change in dyadic communication between patients with prostate cancer and their partners, and also determined if certain factors affected their communication over time. Method : Using multilevel modeling, this study analyzed longitudinal data obtained from a randomized clinical trial with prostate cancer patients and their partners, to examine their communication over time. Patients and partners ( N =134 pairs) from the usual‐care control group independently completed baseline demographic assessment and measures of social support, uncertainty, symptom distress, and dyadic communication at baseline, and 4‐, 8‐, and 12‐month follow‐ups. Results : The results indicated that (1) patients and partners reported similar levels of open communication at the time of diagnosis. Communication reported by patients and partners decreased over time in a similar trend, regardless of phase of illness; (2) phase of illness affected couples' open communication at diagnosis but not patterns of change over time; and (3) couples' perceived communication increased as they reported more social support, less uncertainty, and fewer hormonal symptoms in patients. Couples' demographic factors and general symptoms, and patients' prostate cancer‐specific symptoms did not affect their levels of open communication. Conclusions : Perceived open communication between prostate cancer patients and partners over time is affected by certain baseline and time‐varying psychosocial and cancer‐related factors. The results provide empirical evidence that may guide the development of strategies to facilitate couples' interaction and mutual support during survivorship. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89519/1/pon1861.pd

Cancer as a chronic disease : a psychological perspective

Cancer is a disease that affects many people. Therefore, issue of proper psychological adaptation to the disease is of utmost importance and allows one to look for a better understanding in similar fields. Cancer has many common features with chronic diseases, despite the fact that it is not established whether it can be classified as a chronic di­sease. The first goal of this article is to confirm that according to the WHO definition, cancer indeed can be classified as a chronic disease. The second aim is to present implications of this assumption. Knowledge about the functioning of patients with chronic disease may be a source of hypotheses for psychological adjustment in cancer. Considering cancer as a chronic disease allows application of psychological understanding of chronic diseases to the study of cancer

Living With Ovarian Cancer: Transitions Lost in Translation

Background: Living with ovarian cancer involves uncertainty, fear of recurrence, and premature death while preparing for a life after treatment. The women depend on health care professionals while moving from being healthy to experiencing ovarian cancer. Objective: To explore experiences of women living with ovarian cancer and their interactions with health care professionals. Methods: Five focus group interviews were conducted with the same 4 women, between 2018 and 2020. The interviews were analyzed using systematic text condensation. Results: Living with ovarian cancer involved a set of transitions from health to illness and disease. These transitions were difficult for the women to articulate to health care professionals, friends and family, and to themselves. All participants expressed the experiencing of existential and emotional chaos and paradoxes. As their illness developed, it impacted their ability to articulate changes to their body and sense of self and to their own identity negatively. Consequently, the women felt that their ability to communicate their needs to others, including to health care professionals, deteriorated as the disease progressed. Conclusions: Women living with ovarian cancer experience transitions lost in translation within themselves and in communication with persons in their personal, familial, and medical realms. Implications for Practice: A better understanding of their existential suffering and how it is easily lost in translation may refine care and support for these women throughout their illness and disease trajectory.publishedVersio

Influence of Coping Styles on Social Support Seeking Among Cancer Patient Family Caregivers

Family caregivers of cancer patients may enter a predeath grief cycle when their loved one is diagnosed with cancer. The emotional upheaval and accompanying stress that define predeath grief may lead to health problems for the caregiver, and also interfere with their ability to provide care for their loved one. The purpose of the present research was to examine the relationship between coping styles of family caregivers and the tendency of those caregivers to seek social support during active caregiving. This study employed a quantitative approach based on the revised coping theory and the process of bereavement, which is grounded in the transactional theory of stress and coping, to examine coping styles of family members who care for cancer patients. Family caregivers of current cancer patients (n=103) were recruited through e-mails, flyers, the Walden Participant Pool, public social networking sites, and websites to complete the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. A preliminary analysis indicated a normal data distribution and confirmed homoscedasticity and linearity. Through the use of multiple regression, correlations, and t tests, relationships between 7 coping styles and the tendency to seek support were explored. Results indicated that coping styles of confrontive coping, problem solving, and positive reappraisal were positive and significant predictors of the tendency to seek social support during active caregiving. However, coping styles of distancing, self-control, escape/avoidance, and taking responsibility were not significant predictors of seeking social support. Findings from this study can influence social change by promoting appropriate support interventions that appeal to family caregivers, regardless of their coping styles, in order to effectively support the physical and mental health of the caregiver population