Browsing by Author "Laranjeira, Carlos"
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- Meaning of life after cancer: An existential-phenomenological approach to female cancer survivalPublication . Laranjeira, Carlos; Leão, Paula Ponce de; Leal, Isabel PereiraCancer survivors actively construct their lives and the meaning of cancer to better understand the process of adjustment following the disease. The aim of this study was to understand the significance of lived relations (relationality) for cancer survivorship. The methodology used was a qualitative, phenomenological lifeworld perspective focused on the stories of the participants' lived experiences as gynecological cancer survivors. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews of ten female cancer survivors. A phenomenological hermeneutic method was used to interpret the transcribed interviews. The findings revealed three main themes: mediation between the subject and the world, between subjects, and between the subject and herself. Survivorship can be best attained when individual strengths are the focus of intervention and help guide positive outcomes. Health practitioners should be aware of the potential for positive changes in their patients following trauma and adversity.
- Temporal experience among women gynecological cancer survivors : A lifeworld perspectivePublication . Laranjeira, Carlos; Leão, Paula Ponce de; Leal, Isabel PereiraUsing a reflective lifeworld and feminist perspective, this study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the temporal existential experiences of women who are living with gynecological cancer. The study was conducted via qualitative interviews of 10 Portuguese cancer survivors, using a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach. A main metaphorical meaning ‘‘Outside looking in’’ was identified. This essential meaning had three constituents: personal experience, biographical disruption, and refiguring the lifeworld. Those who are in contact with survivors in both professional and natural helping venues should give attention to the temporal dimension of cancer survival in order to meet the survivor’s impressions and utterances.
- The "crab" and the (des)construction of identity : A phenomenological approachPublication . Laranjeira, Carlos; Leão, Paula Ponce de; Leal, Isabel PereiraGynecological cancer is linked with special adaptation needs, although there is a scarcity of research on women’s experience of cancer survival, particularly in relation to qualitative research that focuses on the meaning of such an experience. The numbers of women surviving gynecological cancer are increasing, which means research on survivorship is crucial. While this concept is integrated in modern oncology literature, we found no consensus about its definition. Some authors emphasized a biomedical approach, using objective data, like the number of surviving years. Others included other perspectives related to individual characteristics and disease trajectory The purpose of the thesis was to illuminate and understand the lifeworlds of women with gynecological cancer using a hermeneutic existential phenomenological approach to research. A purposive sample of Portuguese women was recruited, and semi-structured phenomenological interviews were conducted to enable personal disclosure and expressions of the women’s lived experiences. Data took place over a period of eight months and the participants were interviewed in-depth three times. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted according to Ricoeur's theory of interpretation. Emergent themes were structured around van Manen’s (1997) schema for existential reflection, which considers the relationship between phenomena and four universal themes: lived-body, lived-other, lived-time and lived-space. Ten participants, who defined themselves as survivors of cancer, reported stories of positive and negative change complete with doubts and fears, as well as renewed relationships and altered priorities. As part of their survivorship lived experience, most of the women underwent a quiet deconstruction and reconstruction process to arrive at a restored sense of who they are. A rich description of the lived experience of cancer survival is described as the stunning transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly. This study presents those attributes that are valued by cancer survivors as crucial and important for the support of their well-being and functioning. The outcomes of the study suggest implications for health professionals in promoting existential care to the women by listening and taking into account their concerns.