ipl-logo

Radiation Therapy Research Paper

2265 Words10 Pages

CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION

The aim of this study was to assess the distress and coping of patients with selected cancers undergoing radiation therapy. A descriptive design was used in this study .The investigator used the distress thermometer to assess the distress and the Jalowiec coping scale to assess the coping of patients with selected cancers undergoing radiation therapy. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics
Demographic data:- The sample consisted of 85 patients with selected cancers undergoing radiation therapy. The investigator collected the socio demographic and clinical data from patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The descriptive analysis of the socio demographic variables revealed …show more content…

Other predictors od distress for patients undergoing radiation therapy were symptoms related to local tissue and mutilating surgeries. Despite newer treatment strategies the distress remains on a higher side. Frequent problems with nutrition, pain, communication during treatment has been found. Patients are sensitive to different stressors and the physical symptoms related to radiation had an significant impact on their distress levels. Hammerlid et al (2005) has found that short term educational programs before the start of treatment have benefitted the patients to overcome problems with radiation therapy. R.J. Uitterhoeve (2004) identified that the intervention pertaining to relieving distress among patients with cancer undergoing radiation therapy was to help patients acquire strategies to better manage by increasing skills such as reinterpreting pain and other symptoms by diverting attention away from pain or other distressing symptoms through counseling sessions with the health care …show more content…

Severe distress of 66.6% is high among the age group of more than 45. There is also statistical significance between the levels of distress and their site of cancer with a p value of 0.001, there is also significance between duration of illness and their levels of stress with a p value of 0.02.Post hoc between the groups shows a significance between the sites of cancer (p value of 0.01) with their coping levels, there is also significance between the coping levels and the financial source of treatment with a p value of 0.03. Form this study it is evident that age has significance with their distress levels and coping was associated with the financial source of treatment. It is similar to a study done by Thomas.C, Mohan.N, Nair.M, Pandey.M (2011) where distress was high among the age group more than 45.Occupation had an impact on the level of distress along with the staging of cancer. In the present research the staging of the cancer was not taken in to consideration. If it was assessed it would have helped us to associate the predictors of

Show More
Related
1288 Words | 6 Pages

Despite her diagnose with this rare form of cancer with a 100 percent fatality rate, she did not give up.3 Though she was in shock, she took matters into her own hands and stopped worrying and stressing. According to National Cancer Institute, a study revealed that mice with human tumor confined from other healthy mice had an increase in tumor size. The study showed that tumors were more likely to grow and metastasize due to stress 4. From this experiment one can see that our stress level can influence our health. The ability of a person to change their mindset to a positive one can impact their health in various ways.

Read More
539 Words | 3 Pages

Mental health professionals face multiple stressors while counseling clients in crisis (McCann, Beddoe, McCormick, Huggard, Kedge, Adamson, & Huggard, 2013). Choosing a model of crisis counseling congruent with a counselor’s therapeutic style promotes resiliency and a foundation for a strong therapeutic relationship when delivering trauma focused treatment to clients. Additionally, counseling professionals experience compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma when failing to address difficult thoughts and emotions in relation to a client’s trauma (Warren, Morgan, Blue Morris, & Mood Morris, 2010). Furthermore, mental health professionals developing and implementing a realistic self-care plan, aids in preventing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma to promote overall counselor wellness (Warren et al., 2010).

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

Clinical Scenario P.T. is a 25-year-old women who has been diagnosed with breast cancer with metastasis to her brain. She was recently readmitted to the hospital for pain management. She has two young daughters, who are 3 and 5. P.T. cannot care for herself, but is very aware that she will die. The nurse assists her in her daily needs: bedpan, flushing of implanted central venous access device (port), bathing, emotional support, vital signs, and pain management.

Read More
455 Words | 2 Pages

Not only does it affect the patient, but family members and friendships alike. Those who are committed in their relationships are put to the test. Uncertainty and stress levels ascend, allowing for confusion, powerlessness and frustration to

Read More
471 Words | 2 Pages

In a life changing year and a half, my mother went through radiation treatments and multiple surgeries. After her first surgery and a few weeks into radiation treatments my mother became gravely ill. She struggled to get out of bed and every day became a battle. When my brother and I could get away from school we would wait in the hospital with her. Her health

Read More
1431 Words | 6 Pages

Radiation was the next step that she had to overcome, which was done every day for five weeks. The radiation treatments caused her to be weak and very tired. She was always cooking before the cancer but she became unable to maintain enough energy to even cook during the treatments. Through all the tiredness, tears shed, and pain, she kept pushing herself and decided that giving up was not an option. My grandmother lives by the motto, “With Faith, Family, and Friends you can

Read More
237 Words | 1 Pages

The ensuing double mastectomy, chemotherapy and years of reconstruction were prolonged, violent assaults to my very core and body. I often felt vulnerable and damaged. In my quest to keep up a sense of normalcy and dignity, I did my best to internalize this experience as a reminder of my immortality, the fragility of life and the importance of loving and living in the moment. The human spirit is

Read More
545 Words | 3 Pages

There are certain situations that can have some overall association based on a client. As for R.P. and presenting problems of major depression, suicidal ideation, and cutting derived from a medical diagnosis, personal strain, and family problems. He experiences the "psychological stress" in his personal lifestyle that affected him internally as a result to his presenting problems (Salleh, M, R., 2008). His psychological stress associated with a medical diagnosis of contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with information of being informed to live a short lifespan. That information misinformed to R.P. lead his presenting problems to become known.

Read More
527 Words | 3 Pages

These therapists were there for them every day, good or bad, and never gave up on them. They helped them in a multitude of ways, whether through a challenging treatment day, a dietary recommendation, a special lotion for skin discomfort or just to offer moral support and a shoulder to lean on. These radiation therapists impacted their lives forever and in turn mine. This realization led me to pursue my interest in oncology by focusing my studies on the perfect fit for me, radiation

Read More
1858 Words | 8 Pages

The reason why these can be regarded as determinants of his health is because stress induces a pro-inflammatory response and involvement of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis [11]. A person’s employment and working conditions can therefore increase the vulnerability of an individual to becoming ill, such as Mr W.’s precarious employment. Precarious employment is considered as employment insecurity, with low wages and economic derivation as well as restricted social rights [12]. Research into its impacts have revealed that such types of employment have a stress related pathway to ill health and poor self-reported health [12], with mental health being reported as the most susceptible and responsive health outcome associated with this determinant

Read More
1617 Words | 7 Pages

Most of the cases had the highest percentage of people in the resilient group. As many of the individuals in the resilient group were able to cope with their stressors without any dysfunction in their daily lives. They had high social support, more optimistic, used more friendly coping strategies and they relied less on negative aspects such as, social reliance or using unhealthy coping strategies. However, on the other side, many individuals were in the chronic group. They tend to continuously worried about their injuries or symptom, too dependent on social relationship and were less satisfied with themselves and medical

Read More
630 Words | 3 Pages

Participants noted the change in touch from their family and friends prior to diagnosis of their cancer. Some participants found comfort in the changes and some did not. Many participant’s noted a struggle between craving normalcy and familiarity from loved ones and still wanting to feel love and support. One participant reported not letting his mother touch him when he was gravely ill. Another participant noted that her family, particularly her mother and daughter, began to distance themselves from her after her diagnosis.

Read More
560 Words | 3 Pages

Functioning may be improved above and beyond this by developing new coping skills and eliminating ineffective ways of coping, such as withdrawal, separation, and substance abuse. In this way, the client is better outfitted to adapt to future challenges. Through discussing about what happened, and the feelings about what happened, while developing ways to cope and solve problems, crisis intervention aims to assist the client in recuperating from the crisis and to prevent serious long-term problems from developing. Research documents positive outcomes for crisis intervention, such as diminished pain and enhanced critical thinking.

Read More
1567 Words | 7 Pages

As cancer continued to become more prevalent, health care providers and researchers were forced to further investigate the biology, development, and treatment of cancer. The interaction of cancer outside the realm of molecular and cellular biology became apparent in the mid 1900’s and has since found importance in the fields of psychology, neuropsychology, and psychosocial oncology (Holland, 2002). The field of psychosocial oncology finally became established in the 1970’s, when the stigma of cancer shifted, and patients felt comfortable sharing their experience (Holland, 2002). Social workers and nurses were the first health care professionals to attend to the psychological needs of

Read More
941 Words | 4 Pages

Patients must continuously adjust to the threat to their own identity: at first, when they find out the diagnosis, and later, to the treatment, to various physical symptoms and to the emotional distress. This adjustment is considered by the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation, where the patient with cancer is considered to be actively seeking and processing the information about the disease, building his/her own cognitive and emotional representations with regard to the disease and finally selecting and applying those coping procedures that will help him/her face the threat of disease [14,15]. If the adjustment efforts that focus on the problem or on the emotion are inadequate or inappropriate, individuals will experience fear or worry, according to Leventhal’s Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation, which originally did not include worry and risk perception; these concepts were later included in the extended versions of the self-regulation framework

Read More

More about Radiation Therapy Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document