Abstract

FARINHAS, Giseli Vieceli; WENDLING, Maria Isabel  and  DELLAZZANA-ZANON, Letícia Lovato. Psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis on the family: a case study on the perception of the caregiver. Pensando fam. [online]. 2013, vol.17, n.2, pp. 111-129. ISSN 1679-494X.

This study investigated the psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis in a family and the coping strategies considering the perception of the patient’s caregiver. It was made a case study in which participated a daughter of a patient who recieved a cancer diagnosis. It was used a semi-structured interview. The data underwent content analysis. It was observed that the daughter who assumed the caregiver’s role was the family member closer to the patient, even though this task was taken spontaneously, there had been an overcharge. Spirituality was already a family's practice and it was increased by the discovery of cancer. Psychotherapy was essential throughout the treatment and brought improvements to the life of the entire family. Intergenerational aspects were observed, indicating the importance of knowing the previous generations history as a way to understand how the family handle it’s nowadays crisis.

Keywords : Cancer; Family; Caregiver; Coping strategies.

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