Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer
This article is written on the basis of a study on meaning-making coping in Iran. The study is a part of an international project in 10 countries with different religious and cultural backgrounds. This article aims to discuss the secular existential meaning-making coping methods employed by Iranian...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/2/80 |
| _version_ | 1827652710901481472 |
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| author | Fereshteh Ahmadi Mohammad Khodayarifard Mohammad Rabbani Saeid Zandi Mona Sabzevari |
| author_facet | Fereshteh Ahmadi Mohammad Khodayarifard Mohammad Rabbani Saeid Zandi Mona Sabzevari |
| author_sort | Fereshteh Ahmadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article is written on the basis of a study on meaning-making coping in Iran. The study is a part of an international project in 10 countries with different religious and cultural backgrounds. This article aims to discuss the secular existential meaning-making coping methods employed by Iranian cancer patients. Interviews were conducted with 27 participants with various kinds of cancer. Nine secular existential meaning-making coping strategies emerged from the analyses of the qualitative interviews. These coping methods are as follows: <i>Ignoring the illness</i>, <i>Distraction</i>, <i>Altruism</i>, <i>Encounter with others</i>, <i>Nature</i>, <i>Discourse of the self</i>, <i>Visualization</i>, <i>Positive solitude</i>, and <i>Positive thinking and transformational orientation</i>. It seems that, using these strategies, our sample of Iranian cancer patients/survivors have been denying/ignoring their illness, and/or empowering themselves. We discuss the results, considering the potential influence of cultural elements, including Iranian Islam, Persian mysticism, and Persian literature, on the selection of the coping strategies. The study contributes to our understanding of coping via elucidating how seriously ill individuals in Iran try to manage the challenges caused by a health crisis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:04:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-33494ed45b07490b9f5bc24eca149616 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:04:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-33494ed45b07490b9f5bc24eca1496162023-11-23T22:05:28ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602022-02-011128010.3390/socsci11020080Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with CancerFereshteh Ahmadi0Mohammad Khodayarifard1Mohammad Rabbani2Saeid Zandi3Mona Sabzevari4Department of Social Work and Criminology, Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, SwedenDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417466191, IranDepartment of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417614411, IranDepartment of Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran 1489684511, IranDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 1983969411, IranThis article is written on the basis of a study on meaning-making coping in Iran. The study is a part of an international project in 10 countries with different religious and cultural backgrounds. This article aims to discuss the secular existential meaning-making coping methods employed by Iranian cancer patients. Interviews were conducted with 27 participants with various kinds of cancer. Nine secular existential meaning-making coping strategies emerged from the analyses of the qualitative interviews. These coping methods are as follows: <i>Ignoring the illness</i>, <i>Distraction</i>, <i>Altruism</i>, <i>Encounter with others</i>, <i>Nature</i>, <i>Discourse of the self</i>, <i>Visualization</i>, <i>Positive solitude</i>, and <i>Positive thinking and transformational orientation</i>. It seems that, using these strategies, our sample of Iranian cancer patients/survivors have been denying/ignoring their illness, and/or empowering themselves. We discuss the results, considering the potential influence of cultural elements, including Iranian Islam, Persian mysticism, and Persian literature, on the selection of the coping strategies. The study contributes to our understanding of coping via elucidating how seriously ill individuals in Iran try to manage the challenges caused by a health crisis.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/2/80adjustment to cancercancer experiencecancer patientscancer survivorschronic illnesscoping mechanisms |
| spellingShingle | Fereshteh Ahmadi Mohammad Khodayarifard Mohammad Rabbani Saeid Zandi Mona Sabzevari Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer Social Sciences adjustment to cancer cancer experience cancer patients cancer survivors chronic illness coping mechanisms |
| title | Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer |
| title_full | Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer |
| title_fullStr | Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer |
| title_short | Existential Meaning-Making Coping in Iran: A Qualitative Study among Patients with Cancer |
| title_sort | existential meaning making coping in iran a qualitative study among patients with cancer |
| topic | adjustment to cancer cancer experience cancer patients cancer survivors chronic illness coping mechanisms |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/2/80 |
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