Exploring Meaning in the Life of Chinese Breast Cancer Survivors

Xia, Haozhi; Gao, Lei; Hong, Yue; Shi, Bingjie

doi:10.1097/ncc.0000000000000466

Cited by 21 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The essence of Chinese culture has developed from Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. 32 These 3 philosophies are not regarded as religious beliefs but rather as a set of universal values for most Chinese. Confucianism emphasizes on relationships and responsibility between people, 33 while Taoism advocates maintaining harmony with nature and regards death as a natural process of life, 34 and Buddhism stresses on Samsara (wheel of life) and karma (cause and effect), which means that a person’s acts in the current life may affect their next life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying End-of-Life Preferences Among Chinese Patients With Cancer Using the Heart to Heart Card Game

Pei

Chen

et al. 2020

Am J Hosp Palliat Care

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Background: Understanding the preferences for end-of-life (EOL) care is imperative in providing quality care to patients with life-threatening illness. However, it is difficult for patients, families, and health-care providers to initiate EOL conversations in China. An easy-to-use tool that could help health-care providers initiate EOL discussions is the Heart to Heart Card Game (HHCG), originally designed for Chinese Americans. Objective: To evaluate the EOL preferences among Chinese patients with cancer using the HHCG. Methods: We conducted a descriptive study to assess EOL preferences using HHCG among patients at the oncology chemoradiotherapy department of a Chinese tertiary hospital. Results: We recruited 58 patients in total of which 40 (69%) patients completed HHCG. The most frequently selected card was “I want my family to get along,” followed by “I don’t want to be a burden to my family,” and “I want to maintain my dignity.” Among the 3 cards selected, social needs were rated as the most important (36.7%), followed by spiritual needs (35.8%), physical needs (20.0%), and financial needs (7.5%). The evaluation of the HHCG revealed that more than 70% of the participants highly valued HHCG. Conclusion: The HHCG can be used as a communication tool to encourage EOL discussions between cancer patients and health-care providers in China. Moreover, Chinese patients with cancer attach significant importance to their family and maintaining dignity at the EOL.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying End-of-Life Preferences Among Chinese Patients With Cancer Using the Heart to Heart Card Game

Pei

Chen

et al. 2020

Am J Hosp Palliat Care

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“…Two articles were found relating to adjustment and coping among Mainland Chinese women with breast cancer (S.-Q. Chen et al, 2017; Xia et al, 2018). However, S.-Q.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chen et al (2017) mainly focus on acceptance as a coping strategy for women diagnosed with breast cancer, although some positive change/transcendence experiences pertaining to PTG was articulated. Xia et al (2018) only emphasize Chinese women’s perspective on meaning in life. Neither study examined how the women transformed themselves step-by-step cognitively and emotionally.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging From the “Ku:” Fluctuating in Adjusting With Breast Cancer—A Post-Traumatic Growth Theory Situated Within Chinese Culture

et al. 2020

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This purpose of the study was to construct a model (theory) to understand Chinese women’s adjustment process in living with breast cancer. A constructivist grounded theory method was adopted in this study. A total of 24 women were recruited through purposive and theoretical sampling. Semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews were undertaken in Chinese and transcribed. Initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding approaches were used to identify subcategories and categories, and to construct the emergent theory. The basic social process these women used to deal with the breast cancer diagnosis was identified as: Emerging from the ‘ku’: Fluctuating in adjusting with breast cancer. Four categories were revealed following analysis: confronting challenges, orienting to reality, accommodating the illness, and transforming their lives, which encapsulated the main cognitive and emotional processes in which Chinese women engaged in their adjustment to living with their illness. The core process was influenced by a variety of contextual influences, which were identified as personal factors, social-environmental factors, and some specific cultural factors which emphasized positive changes. Chinese cultural values such as “Wuwei” coping strategies, familial primacy, and Chinese self-disclosure contribute to Chinese women’s adjustment processes and post-traumatic growth experiences. Hence, there is a need to consider Chinese cultural features, in designing culturally tailored supportive programs in multi-cultural clinical settings.

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“…Our research confi rmed that health is considered as the greatest value in human life, especially after the experience of cancer. It is physical health and spiritual fulfi llment that enable a person to live a satisfying and meaningful life [22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The quality and meaning of life of cancer patients in remission: socio-psychological aspects

et al. 2021

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The sense of the meaning of life is a subjectively felt, positive mental state. Suffering in chronic illness intensifies in a human being the sense of isolation and gives rise to emotions with that an individual often cannot cope. Such experiences are characteristic of the process of cancer remission. The sense of coherence strengthens the sense of coping with disease, which increases prospects of recovery. The article presents the results of the authors' research (103 respondents) on the quality and meaning of life of cancer patients in remission: socio-psychological aspects, indicators of the categories of «meaning of life», «responsibility», «consistency», and the latter is dominant at the stage of cancer remission in the studied cohorts. The survey was conducted on the basis of the methodology developed by the authors using the «Goal in Life» test (PIL) by J. K. Crumbaugh and J.J. Smith. Maholicka, as well as «The sense of coherence» by A. Antonovsky (SOC-29). The study showed that the group under survey had a fairly high level of indicators of the categories «meaning of life», «responsibility», «consistency», which did not depend on when the respondents were diagnosed with cancer, as well as the fact that the studied indicators reached higher values in women than in men. Interpersonal factors «meaning of life» and «responsibility» were identified as dominant in the study of the quality and meaning of life in relation to other socio-psychological factors.

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Exploring Meaning in the Life of Chinese Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract: Health providers should pay more attention to survivors' experience of meaning in life and help them enhance meaning in life and improve their quality of life through building good relationship with others, achieving purpose in life, and fulfilling responsibility for family and society.

Cited by 21 publications

References 33 publications

Identifying End-of-Life Preferences Among Chinese Patients With Cancer Using the Heart to Heart Card Game

Identifying End-of-Life Preferences Among Chinese Patients With Cancer Using the Heart to Heart Card Game

Emerging From the “Ku:” Fluctuating in Adjusting With Breast Cancer—A Post-Traumatic Growth Theory Situated Within Chinese Culture

The quality and meaning of life of cancer patients in remission: socio-psychological aspects

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