Meaning in Life and its Relationship with Life Expectancy in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Cross-Sectional Study
Meaning in life and life expectancy in cancer
Keywords:
Life, Life Expectancy, Chemotherapy, CancerAbstract
Introduction:Chemotherapy has a significant impact on the mental and emotional state of patients. Meaning in life is an important factor in maintaining and promoting mental and physical health. This study aimed to determine meaning in life and its relationship with life expectancy in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
METHODS: This study was cross-sectional and conducted in 2022. The study population was 180 patients undergoing chemotherapy referred to Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj, Iran who were selected by convenience method. Data collection tools in this study were Steger's Meaning in Life questionnaire and Snyder's hope scale. Data were analyzed using STATA software version 12 and Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and, Spearman correlation coefficient tests.
RESULTS: The results showed that more than half of the patients felt meaningful and purposeful in life (56.11%) and 46.11% of them were actively searching for meaning in life. 73.33% of patients had low life expectancy. Life expectancy had a positive and significant relationship with the presence of meaning and the search for meaning in life (P < 0.05). Life expectancy had a significant relationship with the variables of age, occupation, place of residence, education, financial status, type of health insurance, and type of cancer (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Considering the results the life expectancy of patients should be strengthened, and in this way, special attention should be paid to the demographic characteristics and type of cancer of the patients. The spiritual support of nurses to patients and the implementation of programs to improve meaning in life are also recommended.
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