Significance of spirituality for patients with cancer receiving palliative care

This study aimed to understand the experiences of cancer patients receiving palliative care and the significance of spirituality when coping with the pain caused by the illness and facing the possibility of death. A total of 10 adults and older adult patients diagnosed with advanced cancer being tre...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: BENITES, Andréa Carolina, NEME, Carmen Maria Bueno, SANTOS, Manoel Antônio dos
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Brasil
Institución:Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-CAMPINAS)
Repositorio:Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas)
Idioma:portugués
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br:article/7662
Acceso en línea:https://periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br/estpsi/article/view/7662
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Palliative care
Spirituality
Phenomenology
Neoplasms
Cuidados paliativos
Espiritualidade
Fenomenologia
Neoplasias
Descripción
Sumario:This study aimed to understand the experiences of cancer patients receiving palliative care and the significance of spirituality when coping with the pain caused by the illness and facing the possibility of death. A total of 10 adults and older adult patients diagnosed with advanced cancer being treated in the palliative care/pain ward of a câncer hospital participated in this study. The phenomenological method was used to collecting and analyzing patients’ reports, which were obtained by individual interviews. Two thematic categories emerged, namely: Faith as hope for healing, support, and trust, and search for life meaning and resignification; and Search for meaning of death and beliefs in na afterlife and in a transcendence realm. The importance of the spiritual dimension was highlighted in the experience of the dying process, allowing the search for the meaning of life and death. The present study revealed that facing death leads people to greatly cherish life, connecting them to their personal beliefs and to their search for a purpose in life.