The impact of culture and sociological and psychological issues on Muslim patients with breast cancer in Pakistan

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Cancer Nursing, 32(4), 2009. The final published article is available from the link below.Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in Muslim women in Pakistan. The impact of the initial diagnosis, culture, religion, and psychosocial and psychological aspects of the disease is not well established. This qualitative study examined the experience and coping strategies used by patients with breast cancer in relation to its impact on their physical, mental health, religious, and family issues. Thirty patients with breast cancer were interviewed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The patient's experience of breast cancer focused on the range of emotions felt throughout the illness trajectory, the importance of religion and family support on coping strategies used to manage the adverse effects of chemotherapy, and also the financial concerns. This is the first study to examine Pakistani Muslim women's views on the lived experience of breast cancer. This article provides clarification of the voiced experiences of women with breast cancer. The data not only highlight the role of religion and family support as essential coping strategies but also emphasize the issues of isolation, aggression, and anger as common responses to chemotherapy. Unique features of this study are women's need to seek spiritual support for their illness and the overriding innate characteristic of maternal responsibility. These cultural features require further analysis and research

A family-based model to predict fear of recurrence for cancer survivors and their caregivers

Although fear of cancer recurrence is a great concern among survivors and their families, few studies have examined predictors of fear of recurrence. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with fear of recurrence in a population-based sample ( N = 246) and determine if survivors and family caregivers influenced one another's fear of recurrence. A family framework guided the study and analyses included multilevel modeling using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results indicated that survivors and family caregivers influenced each other's fear of recurrence and that caregivers had significantly more fear of recurrence than survivors. More family stressors, less positive meaning of the illness, and age were related to elevated fear of cancer recurrence for both survivors and caregivers. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55961/1/1074_ftp.pd

Experience of spouses of women with breast cancer: an integrative literature review

Objective: To gather, to characterize, to analyze, to synthesize and to integrate primary studies that addressed the experiences of spouses / husbands / partners of women with breast cancer, presenting the current state of knowledge. Method: Integrative literature review carried out in the databases of VHL, PubMed, CINHAL e SciELO. Results: The sample consisted of eight studies published between 2000-2012, which pointed to the experiences of the involvement and the care of the husbands towards their ill wives. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for attention and assistance to those spouses, as well as guidance and education to exercise the care the same way as the health staff has done with women. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of further studies in order to deepen the knowledge on this topic, and thus, improve the care with better scientific basis

A systematic review of men's experiences of their partner's mastectomy: coping with altered bodies.

Objective To explore men's experiences of their partner's altered physique and body image as a result of mastectomy and subsequent reconstructive surgeries. Design A systematic review of qualitative and mixed-methods studies. Data sources Ovid, EBSCOhost, Web of science, SCOPUS and ASSIA ProQuest databases were searched using 1) truncations of breast cancer, hereditary breast cancer and BRCA 2) words relating to partner relationships; spouse, husband, partner, men and couple 3) breast cancer surgeries; mastectomy, prophylactic mastectomy and breast reconstruction and 4) body image. Review method Methodological rigour was quality assessed. Results A total of 756 citations were retrieved. Seventeen articles remained following the removal of duplicates, papers unrelated to breast cancer, male breast cancer, papers that excluded men's experiences of their partner's breast cancer and altered body image. Thematic analysis was applied and produced five themes: experiences of the altered body, communication, impact on relationship, information giving and recommendations. Conclusion Men indicated that perceptions of their partner's altered physique and body image, following mastectomy, was secondary to their health. Some men were distressed by their partner's bodily alterations leading to highly complex and emotive coping mechanisms. Men found talking to their partner about physique and body image challenging. Closed communication, however, often led to conflict and poor psychological well-being in both partners. To help prepare for the changes to their partner's body, men desired tailored information. Effective information giving contributes to effective coping strategies helping men to better support their partner affected or at risk from breast cancer, leading to enhanced psychological and emotional well-being in couples