Acceptance in Patients With Cancer: A Scoping Review

Cancer is generally perceived as a major stressor. Occasionally, patients are able to accept their diagnosis and prognosis, and it is not uncommon for patients who initially experience great distress to eventually learn to accept their disease. A deeper understanding of acceptance can enable clinicians to better support patients in achieving a more peaceful state of mind. The purpose of this literature review was to provide a comprehensive overview of existing research on acceptance in patients with cancer.

Study selection resulted in the inclusion of 54 studies. All studies except one were published after the year 2000. Acceptance was defined in terms of cognition, emotion, behavior, spiritual processes, social processes, or other terms. Acceptance focused on disease, illness, cancer, poor prognosis/imminent death, or was not specified, and was measured by interview or questionnaire. Evidence was found for a range of factors associated with acceptance.

Acceptance is a relatively new field of research, characterized by significant heterogeneity in both its definition and focus, as well as the hypothesized determinants and outcomes. To advance this field, it is essential to develop a generally accepted definition of acceptance and to consistently specify its focus. The present scoping review provides a solid foundation for this endeavor.