Coping Strategies for Self-perceived Burden Among Advanced Cancer Patients

Background Self-perceived burden (SPB) causes stress and negatively impacts the quality of life and mental health of patients. It is important to identify effective coping methods to reduce SPB when supporting advanced cancer patients. Objective To qualitatively elucidate advanced cancer patients' strategies for coping with SPB. Methods Eleven participants with advanced cancer were recruited from 2 palliative care units. The data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed by content analysis. Results One of the coping strategies that advanced cancer patients used to reduce their SPB was "making individual efforts to deal with their own circumstances." This category included subcategories: "making proactive action," "expressing their gratitude verbally," "suppressing their feelings," "searching for positive meanings," and "avoiding thinking about the burden on their families." Another coping strategy used was "exploring the solutions with their family," which consisted of one subcategory and indicated an open dialogue between patients and their families to reach acceptable and mutual decisions about patient care. Conclusion Nurses should not only support patients' efforts to tackle the situation by themselves, but also help the family as a whole to tackle problems together. By facilitating meaningful dialogue between family members, patients' feelings of SPB can be alleviated. Implications for Practice Nurses should facilitate dialogue between patients and their family members in order to help them discover solutions to reduce their SPB and to find positive meanings in the caregiving-receiving situation.