We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Acting Independently While Living Alone.
- Authors
Benoot, Charlotte; Deschepper, Reginald; Grypdonck, Maria; Saelaert, Marlies; Bilsen, Johan
- Abstract
Cancer patients who live alone place specific importance on acting independently during treatment. We want to describe what it means to act independently and which strategies patients use to continue to act independently. We used a qualitative design, based on grounded theory. We interviewed 32 patients, 17 of them a second time. Patients who live alone defined acting independently in two different ways: It meant not only doing things alone but also using the help of others in a controlled way. These two meanings lead to two types of strategies. As treatment evolves, patients needed to change their preferred type of strategies to continue acting independently. Succeeding to change led to a feeling of mastery and success. However, failing to change led to struggling, whereby patients’ needs became invisible. Health care providers should anticipate patients’ inability to change strategies during cancer treatment, thereby preventing the patient’s struggle from only becoming visible during crisis.
- Subjects
BELGIUM; ADAPTABILITY (Personality); ATTITUDE (Psychology); CANCER patient psychology; CHANGE; GROUNDED theory; INTERVIEWING; LONELINESS; RESEARCH methodology; HEALTH self-care; AUTODIDACTICISM; SINGLE people; QUALITATIVE research; CHANGE management; PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
Qualitative Health Research, 2015, Vol 25, Issue 8, p1033
- ISSN
1049-7323
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/1049732315590402