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Meaning-making in individuals with cancer and their carers: A qualitative study
Mahala Martin1, Clara V Murray1, Kim J Usher2
1School of Psychology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
Objective:
Cancer impacts the wellbeing and quality of life of individuals with cancer and their carers. Meaning-making strategies, which can be secular, spiritual or religious in nature, can help to facilitate their positive adjustment. The current study aimed to explore meaning-making processes in people with cancer and their carers.
Methods:
The study was qualitative in design with 10 individuals with cancer and 10 carers participating in semi-structured interviews. Analysis was approached deductively using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results:
Four over-arching themes framed the deductive analysis, with several subthemes derived for each. There were three subthemes for causal attributions, two for primary appraisals, five for meaning making processes and four for meanings made. Although patient and carer experiences mostly aligned, there were differences within some subthemes.
Conclusion:
Results suggest that Australian individuals with cancer and their carers use a variety of secular, spiritual and/or religious meaning making strategies. These may offer a helpful way to navigate and support psychological adjustment and facilitate posttraumatic growth. Given Australia's diversity, meaning-making interventions that are adapted to individual belief systems may be helpful in promoting positive adaptation for cancer patients and their carers.
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