The meaning of religious beliefs for a group of cancer patients during rehabilitation

Authors

  • Verônica Vrban Aquino University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing
  • Márcia Maria Fontão Zago University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692007000100007

Keywords:

neoplasms, medical oncology, religion, culture, survival, rehabilitation

Abstract

The objective of this exploratory study was to identify how religion influences the survival of a group of cancer patients. The study consisted of an ethnographic case with the participation of six laryngectomized male and female patients between 51 and 72 years old, who had been operated on two to five years earlier. Data were collected by semistructured interviews and analyzed on the basis of the concepts of culture and religion. The results were synthesized into three descriptive categories: the moral representation of cancer, religious beliefs about the cancer trajectory, and negotiation with religion for survival. These categories give rise to the meaning "the hope for a second chance", which emphasizes the importance of religion as part of the support networks that articulate with the patient's coping with the stigma of cancer, with the hope for cure, and with the ways of organizing everyday life, during survival.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2007-02-01

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2007)

Section

Original Articles

License

RLAE’s authorship concept is based on the substantial contribution by each of the individuals listed as authors, mainly in terms of conceiving and planning the research project, collecting or analyzing and interpreting data, writing and critical review. Indication of authors’ names under the article title is limited to six. If more, authors are listed on the online submission form under Acknowledgements. The possibility of including more than six authors will only be examined on multicenter studies, considering the explanations presented by the authors.
Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

Aquino, V. V., & Zago, M. M. F. (2007). The meaning of religious beliefs for a group of cancer patients during rehabilitation. Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 15(1), 42-47. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692007000100007