Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Health Promotion Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 PhD student, Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Emirates Branch (Dubai)

3 Mental Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

10.22062/jqr.2024.198377.1262

Abstract

Background: Paying attention to the phenomenon of cancer stigma and the factors affecting it significantly affects the survival rate, willingness to receive treatment, coping strategies and the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting self-perceived stigma in cancer patients.
Method: The method used in this research was Meta-Synthesis. To ensure relevance, the entry criteria included the presence of certain keywords in the title and abstract, as well as the fact that the articles were in English, qualitative research method and had free access to the full text. The research was conducted over the period from 2000 to 2022 and resources related to cancer stigma were sourced from Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. After screening the title, abstract and methodology, 419 articles were obtained. After removing the duplicate articles and fully reviewing the text of the articles, 11 articles remained and the final analysis was done on them.
Results: The results showed that the factors affecting cancer stigma include the theme of intrinsic factors with the sub-theme of cancer symptoms; associated with death and nothingness and the sub-theme of the symptoms of cancer; It was reminiscent of celibacy and loneliness and the theme of moderating factors with the sub-themes of the role of false and legendary beliefs, fear of public judgment and the role of the media as a promoter of stigma. Among other factors, the subclass of popular myths and false beliefs related to cancer played a greater role in cancer stigma.
Conclusion: Paying attention to the effective mechanisms in cancer stigma can be a valid strategy to strengthen the psychological support of patients and on the other hand, it can be used in the field of effective management of the public health system in dealing with cancer.

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