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

Male Spouses' Experiences in Providing Support and Care for Women With Breast Cancer: A Qualitative Systematic Review and Metasynthesis

BACKGROUND

The global incidence of breast cancer is increasing, making the care of breast cancer survivors a priority for health services worldwide. Spouses are often the primary caregivers for breast cancer survivors, and understanding their caregiving experiences is essential for developing supportive programs aimed at reducing the burden on these caregivers.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to synthesize qualitative research evidence on male spouses' experiences in providing support and care for breast cancer survivors.

METHODS

Three databases were comprehensively searched, and the Joanna Briggs Institute qualitative synthesis method was used to evaluate the quality of the studies and synthesize the results.

RESULTS

A total of 14 studies identified 4 themes: male spouses have negative and positive emotional responses to breast cancer; male spouses experience physical, economic, and social consequences associated with breast cancer care; male spouses experience changes in child-rearing and intimate relationships; and male spouses use a range of strategies to cope with caregiving for an ill spouse.

CONCLUSIONS

Spouses face numerous physical, psychological, and economic challenges when caring for breast cancer survivors. Therefore, support programs for caregivers should be multifaceted. Healthcare professionals should identify these challenges early and develop personalized intervention strategies to effectively enhance caregiving competence and facilitate adaptation to role transitions.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Healthcare providers should emphasize positive feedback and a sense of benefit in the process of spousal caregiving, enhance training in professional skills, provide diversified support, and promote positive spousal changes to improve the caregiving experience.

Latent Profile Analysis and Determinants of Marital Adjustment in Patients with Breast Cancer

Objective

The aim of this study is to assess the latent profile types of marital adjustment in patients with breast cancer and to analyze the factors influencing these various profiles.

Methods

Patients with breast cancer who visited the Breast Surgery Department from January to June 2023 were selected using convenience sampling. These patients were surveyed using a general data questionnaire, the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index-C (IRI-C), and the Emotional Regulation Self-Efficacy Scale (RESS). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to determine different types of marital adjustment among patients, and influencing factors for the various profiles were identified through univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

Marital adjustment in patients with breast cancer was categorized into three latent profiles: the "low marital adjustment-low cohesion group" (20.2%), the "midlevel marital adjustment group" (35.3%), and the "high marital adjustment-satisfaction group" (44.4%). The influencing factors included age, marital status, primary caregiver, type of surgical intervention, empathy, and emotional regulation self-efficacy (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The marital adjustment levels of patients with breast cancer exhibited significant heterogeneity. Medical staff can implement targeted interventions based on the distinct characteristics of each marital adjustment profile, thereby enhancing the marital adjustment of these patients.

Adaptation Process in Husbands of Iranian Women Undergoing Mastectomy From Diagnosis to Terminal Stages of the Disease: A Grounded Theory Study

INTRODUCTION

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second cause of cancer-related death. This research was performed to interpret the adaptation process among husbands of Iranian women undergoing mastectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this grounded theory study, 23 participants were chosen purposefully and via convenient sampling. After interview with them about adaptation and ways of achieving it, note taking was done, which was analyzed via Strauss and Corbin approach.

RESULTS

Six themes were extracted: Confrontation with crisis, Challenges and opportunities, husband transformation, supportive systems, attempts for life management, accepting an uninvited guest, with each having subclasses.

CONCLUSION

According to the results of the present study the healthcare team and psychologists should identify this issue properly so that they could apply measures for facilitating the coping and acceptance of the issue in husbands of these patients.

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

AIM

The purpose of this study was to understand the caregiving experiences of breast cancer family caregivers and explore the profound impacts of those experiences on their quality of life.

DESIGN

A qualitative research method was used.

METHODS

We extended invitations to 23 family caregivers of outpatients and inpatients receiving breast surgery and oncology treatments in Taiyuan, China, to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the interview data.

RESULTS

Four themes and associated categories were identified: (1) changes in family dynamics, (2) the socio-medical context, (3) interactions between family and society, (4) self-efficacy and nine subthemes and their related categories, where virtually all participants expressed future uncertainty, emotional contagion, and personal challenges, and self-efficacy had a moderating influence on the first three themes.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study did not involve direct participation of patients or the public. However, their experiences and perspectives on caregiving were indirectly reflected through the insights provided by the family caregivers who participated in the interviews. Their valuable input contributed to a deeper understanding of the caregiving experience and its impact on the quality of life for Chinese breast cancer family caregivers.

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

Despite the numerous concepts of caregiving discussed in the literature, there is still no agreed definition and concept of family caregiving from the perspective of Islam. This study aims to comprehensively define family caregiving from Islamic religious and Muslim cultural perspectives. Rodger's evolutionary model was used to generate content by analyzing and redefining concepts. A thorough examination of the relevant literature using Scopus, PubMed, Medline, and CINAHL databases also trusted sources offered a total of 52 articles and 8 books to be reviewed. Our study reveals that family caregiving is viewed as God's gift as important as an essential religious and cultural obligation in Islam, where humans are expected to deliver care for their families although they are unprepared. This can be motivated by aspirations for respect, love, responsibility, and a desire to recompense parents, as well as the belief that by doing so they will be rewarded in the hereafter. The provision of family caregiving leads to positive consequences such as living with hope, gaining rewards and achievement, but at the same time, it also causes devastated life. This research contributes to a new discourse on family caregiving based on Islamic literature which helps in the comprehension of the practices of Muslim communities worldwide.