Vulnerable "me" and vulnerable "us". Gender differences in experiences in partners of patients
diagnosed with cancer
Engelsk titel: Vulnerable "me" and vulnerable "us". Gender differences in experiences in partners of patients
diagnosed with cancer
Läs online
Författare:
Boström V
;
Sörlie V
Email: vibeke.bostrom@rikshospitalet.no
Språk: Eng
Antal referenser: 32
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 04013808
Sammanfattning
The purpose of this pilot study was to obtain new knowledge about the experiences of partners of young cancer patients and how these influenced them. The partners were interviewed and asked to narrate about their everyday life experiences throughout their partners' illness and treatment. The method of interpretation used was inspired by Ricoeurs' phenomenological hermeneutics (1,2). In this study, the young partners were exposed to great strains, and they seem to have ignored their individual needs during the cancer experience. The impression is that they needed help from health care professionals to find a way to cope with emotional as well as practical matters, and to better understand their own situation and emotional distress. Furthermore, females and males differed in the way they interpreted and understood their own role. The women expressed that they were afraid to lose the open dialogue within the relationship, and men expressed that they were afraid to not be able to manage the responsibility on their own, and simultaneously maintain a strong and protective attitude. The findings in this study cannot be generalised beyond this small sample; however, despite this limitation, this study gives us a beginning look at gender differences in experiences among partners of young patients diagnosed with cancer.