Cancer Patients’ Perceptions of Family Psychological Support: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background and Aim: Family psychological support is a highly important concept concerning patients diagnosed with cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate cancer patients’ perceptions of family psychological support. Methods: This study had a qualitative approach using inductive content analysis method. Through purposive sampling, 15 patients were selected who underwent semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. After data collection, all the interviews were transcribed and analyzed via content analysis. Results: In general, 298 codes were extracted and categorized into two main themes: seeking support from family and valuing the patient as a family member. Seeking support from family composed of two subcategories, i.e., emotional support seeking and spiritual support seeking. Also, valuing the patient as a family member had two sub-categories consisting of unconditional acceptance and respect. Conclusion: From the point of view of the participants, emotional and spiritual support seeking as well as unconditional acceptance and respect play a significant role in the psychological support of the families for these patients.