Thesis (M.S.)--University of Oregon, 2008. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-107). Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: Christopher McCarthy. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI company.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ball State University, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Sept. 09, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 41-43).

Doctorat en sciences sociales, politiques et économiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Despite improvements in cancer management over the past 25 years, unrelieved symptoms continue to be reported. Little is known about how patients' problems and concerns are communicated to professionals during oncology treatment. This research investigates communication between cancer patients and clinicians in hospital outpatient clinics. Data were collected by non-participant observation and audio recording of consultations. Analyses were by qualitative content analysis and conversation analysis. An Objectives, Strategies and Tactics model was applied to organise the findings. 74 consultations between cancer patients and 15 doctors were observed and audio recorded. Pain talk is defined and identified as a substantial topic, occurring in 39/74 consultations. Doctor-initiated questions are the predominant discourse feature occupying over two-fifths of pain talk sequences. Their questions are prominent not only in initiating discussions but also in directing further talk. In other words, clinicians' questions control both the content and order of talk within pain talk sequences ( eg, over three-quarters of doctor-initiated questions are in a closed form which focus narrowly on limited physical aspects of patients' pain). It is argued that this limited information exchange alongside other communication tactics, is used to identify the 'right kind' of pain which may benefit from cancer therapy and to truncate talk of problems perceived to be outside of this specialist remit.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of belief in control and commitment to life to the adult cancer patient's inclination to use unproven cancer therapies. A convenience sample of 40 lung cancer patients completed the Wallston's Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, Crumbaugh's Purpose in Life Scale, Hiratzka's Alternative Therapy Scale, and a patient information sheet. The majority of participants exhibited a strong internal locus of control orientation and a strong commitment to life. Belief in control, commitment to life, and the degree of inclination to use unproven cancer therapies were not significantly associated. However, age was negatively correlated with inclination to use unproven cancer therapies. The majority of participants had heard of five or more unproven cancer remedies, and exhibited a strong inclination to use these unorthodox therapies. The most frequently used unproven therapies were anti-medicines - imagery, faith-healing, megadose vitamins, and taheebo. The rising popularity of these anti-medicines has been reported in the literature. The findings were discussed in relation to theoretical expectations, other research studies, and the methodological problems inherent in the study. Implications of the findings for nursing practice, theory, and education were suggested. Recommendations for further nursing research were made. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Current research has shown pediatric cancer patients to be at greater risk for lowered selfesteem, altered body image, and an overall change in self-concept. Even if patients are only at an increased risk, the development of a tool to identify these problems is necessary. Periodic screening of all patients would be beneficial and when problems are identified, intervention can take place. Research previously conducted with various tools concluded that cancer patients may select answers that allow them to appear "normal" or "supernormal" and therefore defensively deny their cancer (Puuko 1997). Currently there is not a unifonn instrument used to test these factors. To this end, a protocol was devised to evaluate the use of Harter's Self-Perception Manual in the pediatric cancer population and to test the current theories. Dr. Susan Harter's Self-perception Questionnaires have previously been used for prospective research in various pediatric populations and are designed specifically to allow patients to answer truthfully. The questionnaires have been determined to be a valid, reliable instrument to measure a child's self-perception of their self-concept. Further data (to come from the prospective study) is needed to determine if the scale is useful for pediatric cancer patients. In addition, the retrospective use of Harter's scale will be piloted in this protocol in order to determine how children really felt during trea1ment. In an effort to compensate for developmental advances/processes and issues with accurate recall specific limits have been placed on retrospective participants. / 2031-01-01

This exploratory study examines five families in which one parent was ill with cancer and in which there was a 5-to 8-year-old child. To understand the adaptation to the illness (and, in the case of three families, to the death of the ill parent) of the focus child was the principal aim of the study. The circumstances existing around the time of the illness and death of the parent were seen as particularly important in determining how the child viewed these events. Areas such as substitute caregivers, family routines, information given to the child, and the child's participation in, apparent understanding of and preparation for occurrences were some of the areas studied.

Objective: Pediatric cancer caregivers will encounter circumstances that will challenge their personal resources to face the diverse demands of care. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the relationship between burden syndrome and coping strategies in caregivers of pediatric cancer patients. Method: 93 main caregivers of pediatric cancer patients participated (69.9% women, 30.1% men, mean age = 37.20 years, SD = 11.32), selected in a non-probabilistic way. The Caregiver Burden Scale and the COPE-28 Questionnaire were applied. Correlational and comparative statistics were used for data analysis. Results: The results indicate the presence of significant and inverse correlations that vary between r =-.25 and r =-.56. However, no significant association was found between the dimensions of caregiver burden and substance use. On the other hand, those caregivers who use poorly adaptive strategies are more likely to generate overload in relation to their role, influencing their personal, family and social life. Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between overload syndrome and coping strategies. In addition, significant differences in overload are identified according to the place of origin and the hours dedicated to care.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Half of those who are diagnosed with cancer in any given year are over age 65. Approximately 3.1 million males and 2.3 million females over age 65 became ill with cancer in 2000. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychosocial experience of the older adult with cancer to enable social workers to better serve this population. It is not clear from previous research whether their lived experience in adapting to cancer is different from that of younger persons. Thirteen older adults with cancer were interviewed in-depth along with a focus group of three oncology social workers.