Spiritual well-being among patients newly diagnosed with cancer in Jordan: thematic analysis.

PURPOSE: Patients newly diagnosed with cancer experience a grief process that disturbs their spiritual well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore the spiritual well-being among patients with cancer within the first 3 months of diagnosis.

METHODS

The study used a qualitative approach using thematic analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen participants diagnosed with cancer within the first 3 months prior to data collection using a purposive sampling method. The interviews took place in oncology outpatient clinics at three selected hospitals in Jordan.

RESULTS

Four main themes emerged from the texts of the participants' stories. These themes were "Hopeful yet uncertain expectation of achieving future goals," "A wake-up call for self-transcendence," "Religious struggle," and "Facing Reality provoke questions about meaning of life."

CONCLUSION

To conclude, analysis of texts from the Jordanian patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer has revealed rich and meaningful evidence of the effect of this diagnosis on disturbing patients' beliefs and meaning of life. Those patients may experience uncertainty; however, they become more connected with others and God. Health care providers need to understand patients' sources of hope and adjustment that may influence management goals before and during starting treatment.