Religion, Culture and Meaning-Making Coping: A Study Among Cancer Patients in Malaysia
2019 (English)In: Journal of religion and health, ISSN 0022-4197, E-ISSN 1573-6571, Vol. 58, no 6, p. 1909-1924Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The present study aimed to explore the use of meaning-making coping mechanisms (existential, spiritual and religious coping) among ethnic Malay cancer patients in Malaysia and to investigate the impact of culture on their choice of coping methods. Twenty-nine participants with various kinds of cancer were interviewed. Four kinds of coping resources emerged from analyses of the interview transcripts: (1) relying on transcendent power, (2) supernatural or mystical beliefs, (3) finding oneself in relationships with others and (4) nature. In this article, the two first resources are in focus. The present findings suggest that Malay culture, which is imbued with Islamic belief, strongly influences cancer patients’ coping methods and ways of looking at their experience of being cancer patients.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2019. Vol. 58, no 6, p. 1909-1924
Keywords [en]
Culture and coping, Existential coping methods, Malay cancer patients, Meaning-making coping, RCOPE (religious coping methods), Spiritual-oriented coping, adult, article, cancer patient, clinical article, female, genetic transcription, human, interview, Malaysia, male, religion
National Category
Sociology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-27364DOI: 10.1007/s10943-018-0636-9ISI: 000495395100001PubMedID: 29948793Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85048507484OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hig-27364DiVA, id: diva2:1223334
2018-06-252018-06-252019-11-29Bibliographically approved