Background Prostate cancer affects not only men with the disease, but their partners and families as well. These affects can include changes to everyday lifestyle activities, incontinence, and sexual dysfunction, and sometimes, relationships.
Objective To find out how men with prostate cancer and their female partners found spiritual lift and hope during the prostate cancer trajectory.
Methods The very personal and human nature of the question suggested that a qualitative approach with narrative inquiry would be the most appropriate. Comments were obtained from 10 men and 10 women who were not in a relationship with each other and from 10 couples (N = 40) and then subjected to narrative and thematic analysis.
Results The participants’ activities and circumstances provided their lift – rising above the everyday mundane – and their hope – optimism for the future – and helped them cope. In addition, what emerged was interesting insights on the way in which the participants associated these concepts with having a positive attitude in their life. They provided some valuable information on what constitutes being positive that will be helpful to others in similar circumstances, and to health professionals.
Limitations The information from a relatively small number of participants needs to be interpreted carefully and cannot result in strong conclusions about the nature of the results.
Conclusions Being positive during a time of illness and when dealing with the consequences of the illness, is an important element in coping. However, an understanding of the practicalities of what it means to be positive needs to be thoroughly developed and understood.
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