Hope, life, and death: a qualitative analysis of dying cancer patients' talk about hope.
Although deemed vital to patient well-being, hope in persons who are terminally ill is often thought to be problematic, particularly when centered on cure. As part of a study on end-of-life decision-making, we asked 28 patients with cancer, believed to be within weeks of their death, to talk about hope. Responses were transcribed and discursively analyzed, with 3 versions of hope, each of which connected hope and life, identified--hope as essential to, and for, life; hope, life, death, and others; and, hope/s changing during (or in) life. Hope for cure was common. Rather than death-denying, patients' hope appeared life-affirming, functioning to value patients, their lives, and connections with others.
Eliott
Jaklin A
JA
Cancer Council Australia, Sydney and School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia. jaklin.eliott@cancer.org.au
Olver
Ian N
IN
D001240:Aspirations, Psychological; D001290:Attitude; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003643:Death; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D019369:Life; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*