“I’m Grateful, but Am I?”: The Exploration of Gratitude as a Complex Experience Among Malaysian Cancer Patients

Abstract

Gratitude has gained attention among health researchers for its benefits among chronic illness. However, most of the studies were focusing on the positive effects, neglecting the complex dimensions of gratitude that can contribute to both opportunities and challenges for chronic illness patients. This study aims to understand gratitude among cancer patients in Malaysia from a sociocultural perspective. This includes understanding how cancer patients view gratitude and the impacts of gratitude throughout their cancer-battling journey. This qualitative study involved 35 cancer patients. A thematic analysis was done to analyze the collected data. Among the themes discovered were searching for meaning, meaningful experience, gratitude through the enrichment activities, and gratitude as religious cultural expectations. This study suggests that gratitude is an important experience for chronic illness patients. The ability to understand this experience is vital to support and empower the patients throughout their daily lives.

Religious meaning-making among Muslim parents bereaved by homicide: Struggling to accept ‘God's will’ and yearning for ‘Qayama’ day

“…Subsequently, to reduce distress in the event of a discrepancy, one may reappraise the meaning of the event (assimilation), change one's global beliefs (accommodation), or continue without any change. In this vein, our study echoes prior studies [29b] , [34] , and demonstrates the assimilation process that Muslim parents go through following the disruption of their global beliefs, as they attempt to reconstruct their worldview and assign meaning to a son's death due to homicide.…”

“…For instance, the belief that life is controlled by God and that negative life events constitute an opportunity for spiritual growth can be reassuring [ 8 , 33 ]. Religion was also found to help bereaved parents accept their loss [7] , [29b] , [34] .…”

“…People for whom religion has played a central role in shaping their global beliefs are likely to rely on the religious system to appraise the meaning of the traumatic event [ 35 ]. Indeed, studies are continuously using Park's model as a relevant and viable framework for investigating how individuals and societies, including Muslim populations, cope with life's adversities [ 7 , 22 , 34 , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] ]. For instance, in a study conducted among Muslim cancer patients, it was reported that meaning-making, as presented in Park's model, created a more positive outlook, by helping these cancer patients find new goals in life [ 7 ].…”

“…The official period of mourning, Hidad, lasts only three days; consequently, extending the grieving beyond this period delays prevents a quick return to life's routines and the acceptance of the loss, which is interpreted as a rejection of God's will [ 51 , 52 ]. Indeed, Mohammad Hussin and colleagues [ 34 ], who recently explored Malaysian Muslims' coping with cancer, showed that the religious-cultural expectation is to accept one's fate and be grateful, rather than expose or confront one's feelings. Thus, for example, the study report noted that “Some participants shared their concern that gratitude has become a religious and cultural expectation for those dealing with this [diagnosis]" (34, p.279).…”

The clinical effect of gratitude extension-construction theory nursing program on bladder cancer patients with fear of cancer recurrence

“…This is consistent with the clinical application of this theory in other chronic cancers ( 19 , 20 ). The gratitude level is highly correlated with the molecular level of neuropeptide oxytocin in the inner brain, which can reduce inflammation in the human body, alleviate depression and anxiety in patients, and enhance happiness ( 21 ). Volz Y et al.…”