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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Therapeutic Massage for Psychological Well-being in Geriatric Oncology
Published on: May 22, 2026
Holding the Unspoken: Oncology Nurses' Experiences of Using Creative Expression to Support Emotional Processing in
Sayed Ibrahim Ali1, Mostafa Shaban2
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Objectives:
To explore oncology nurses' experiences of using expressive relational practices to support emotional processing among older adults with cancer and to develop a practice-oriented conceptual model intended to inform clinical practice and nursing education.
Methods:
A qualitative interpretive descriptive study was conducted in two tertiary cancer services in Saudi Arabia. Eighteen oncology nurses with direct experience in geriatric cancer care participated in semi-structured interviews. Of 41 eligible nurses approached, 18 were enrolled. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Two researchers independently coded the first five transcripts and iteratively refined a shared codebook; remaining coding and theme development were discussed in regular analytic meetings. Rigor was enhanced through member reflection, peer debriefing, and reflexive journaling.
Results:
Four interconnected themes emerged: (1) creating space for what cannot be said, reflecting nurses' attunement to silence and indirect distress; (2) expression beyond clinical dialogue, including storytelling, life review, and symbolic or sensory pathways; (3) holding emotional weight, capturing emotional containment and professional vulnerability; and (4) negotiating boundaries in expressive care, shaped by cultural mediation and institutional constraints. These findings informed an integrative model conceptualizing expressive care as a cyclical process of relational attunement, facilitated expression, emotional containment, and contextual negotiation.
Conclusions And Implications For Nursing Practice:
In this culturally specific setting, expressive relational care appears to function as an integral, rather than adjunct, dimension of person-centered geriatric oncology nursing. Structured expressive communication training, culturally responsive practice guidelines, and institutional recognition of emotional labor may enhance patient dignity and nurse resilience; patient- and family-focused research is needed to test the transferability of these findings.
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