Religion, Culture and Meaning-Making Coping: A Study Among Cancer Patients in Malaysia

  • Fereshteh Ahmadi*
  • , Nur Atikah Mohamed Hussin
  • , Mohd Taufik Mohammad
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

51 Citations (Scopus)
4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1909-1924
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Religion and Health
Volume58
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2019
Externally publishedYes
Publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Funding

First of all we wish to thank our interviewees, whose responses have provided the foundation on which our research was based. Thanks are similarly due to University of Gävle for funding the research on which this article reports.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • Culture and coping
  • Existential coping methods
  • Malay cancer patients
  • Meaning-making coping
  • RCOPE (religious coping methods)
  • Spiritual-oriented coping

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing
  • Religious studies

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