Purpose: This study was designed to systematically explore and elicit information about terminally ill cancer patients’ and primary family caregivers’ subjectivity of death.
Method: Using Q-methodology, 21 terminally ill cancer patients and 19 primary family caregivers sorted 40 statements during personal interviews.
Results: The results of this study show that terminally ill cancer patients have four factors (‘Attachment to life’, ‘Hope for heaven’, ‘Resignation to reality’, ‘Avoidance of pain’) of response and primary caregivers have four factors(‘Dependence on religion’, ‘Faithfulness to reality’, ‘Obedience to fate’, ‘Agony of reality’). Comparing the subjectivities of death of terminally ill cancer patients and primary family caregivers, ‘Hope for heaven’ and ‘Dependence on religion’ reveal the similarities of their outlook. On the other hand, ‘Attachment to life’, ‘Resignation to reality’, ‘Avoidance of pain’, ‘Faithfulness to reality’, ‘Obedience to fate’, ‘Agony of reality’ reveals different aspects of their outlook. The group of terminally ill cancer patients and their families divided into four types. Type A was ‘Attachment to life and Agony of reality’, type B was ‘Attachment to life and Obedience to fate’, type C was ‘Hope for heaven and Dependence on religion’ and type D was ‘Resignation to reality and Faithfulness to reality’. The positive group was C or ‘Hope for heaven and Dependence on religion’.
Conclusion: There are significant differences found in the subjective structure of death among terminally ill cancer patients and primary family caregivers. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an individualized nursing intervention for terminally ill cancer patients and family caregivers.
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