The concept of coping in male spouses of Iranian women with breast cancer: A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is a multidimensional crisis that affects not just the patient, but the spouse and other family members. Coping with this phenomenon, as one of the important challenges for the families and spouses, requires investigation. Understanding more about how spouses of women with breast cancer cope with this crisis could lead to better performance of spouses in front of their wives and raise their wives’ quality of life. Purpose: The study was conducted to explore the concept of coping based on the lived experiences of spouses of women with breast cancer. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted with a phenomenological approach in Hamedan and Rasht cities in Iran in 2019. Participants included 20 spouses of women with breast cancer selected by a purposive sampling method. Data were collected through unstructured face-to-face interviews and analyzed using van Manen’s six-stage phenomenological method. Results: The lived experiences of participants showed that the phenomenon of coping in spouses of women with breast cancer included five themes: Emotional pain, Shouldering the burden of care, Striving for family life cohesion, Future in ambiguity, and Sense of loss of self concept. Understanding the concept of coping in the spouses of women with breast cancer in health strategies can help wives achieve effective adaptation and also help professionals take effective measures in the field of medical care for patients and their spouses.

The family caregiving; A Rogerian concept analysis of Muslim perspective & Islamic sources

“…I do not even let her do even a little bit of work at home because marriage means commitment and responsibility toward the person you are living with (Husband, 5 years of care) [ 26 ]. This concept is in 15 articles [ [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] ], the words hard were followed by the words duty, work, or responsibility, which implies family caregivers considered their responsibilities to be burdensome. In Mortazavi et al, 2015, participant stated “Finally, I called my brother living in another city and told him this is a reality, my wife has left me.…”

“…Although feeling a great deal of hardship, family caregivers continue to fulfil their responsibilities using the different resources and techniques they possess [ 21 , 26 , [28] , [29] , [30] , 32 , 36 , 60 ]. For example, one participant who cared for Multiple Schlerosis daughter said “Many times I felt stress and exhaustion, but reminded myself to be hopeful for my daughter.…”

Developing a conceptual model for understanding caregiving experience and their impacts on quality of life for Chinese breast cancer family caregivers: A qualitative study

“…At the same time, the financial burden on family caregivers may increase, especially if they are required to pay high medical bills or stop working to care for the patient (Kusi et al., 2020). Changes in couple life are also a potential source of burden, and caregivers may experience the evolution of couple relationships, emotional fluctuations and even feelings of social isolation, negatively affecting family and marital stability (Boamah Mensah et al., 2021; Noveiri et al., 2021; Thompson et al., 2022).…”