PALLIATIVE CARE RESILIENCE: ADVERSITY QUOTIENT AMONG CANCER PATIENTS IN NAIROBI AND NYERI COUNTIES, KENYA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/japsy.544Keywords:
Adversity Quotient, resilience, palliative care, Nyeri County Referral Hospital (CRH), Nairobi Hospice, Nyeri HospiceAbstract
Purpose: This study sought to find out the levels of Adversity Quotient among cancer patients attending palliative care in Nairobi and Nyeri Counties, Kenya.
Methodology: The study adopted a correlation research design. The target population were the cancer patients, attending treatment at the three palliative care units in Nairobi and Nyeri Counties. Systematic random sampling technique was used in the study to obtain a sample of 96 participants. Semi structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, namely Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient(r).
Findings: Results showed that the lowest adversity quotient level score attained by the respondents was 32, while the highest score was 93. The adversity quotients mean score was 68.98+13.54, signifying that the adversity quotient for the respondents was in the moderate level possibly because majority of them had been diagnosed with cancer between 1 to 2 years earlier hence may have still been overwhelmed by their illnesses and the subsequent cost in initiation of treatment and diet thus lowering their AQ to moderate levels.
Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Patients under palliative care could adopt group psychotherapy, including cognitive-behavioural, informational, non-behavioral, social support, and using unusual treatments such as music and art therapy to curb cancer. More cancer related programs enhancing patients AQ should be put in place by the counsellors in order to increase the patients AQ in the palliative care units from moderate level to high level of AQ in order to boost recovery outcomes
Downloads
References
Arber A., & Spencer L. (2013). It's all bad news': the first 3 months following a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Psychooncology 22, 1528–1533. 10.1002/pon.3162
Becker, G., & Newton, E. (2004).Socioeconomic status and dissatisfaction with health care among chronically ill African Americans. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 742–748.
Canivel, L. D. (2010). Principals’ Adversity Quotient: Styles, Performance and Practices. Diliman, Quezon City:University of the Philippines.
Chida, Y., & Steptoe, A. (2008). Positive psychological wellbeing and mortality: A quantitative review of prospective observational studies. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 741– 756.
Hoffman, A. M., & Lent, R. W. (2013). Social Cognitive Perspective on coping with cancer: Theory, research and intervention. The Counseling Psychologist 41(2) 240-267
Mulemi, B. A. (2010). Coping with cancer and adversity: Hospital ethnography in Kenya.PhDdissertation.University of Amsterdam (UvA).Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11245/2.72814
Rutter, M. (1987).Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57, 316–331.
Stoltz, P.G. (2000) Adversity Quotient @ Work. New York: Harper Collins
Sutanto, B., Singh-Grewal, D., McNeil, H. P., O’Neill, S., Craig, J. C., Jones, J., & Tong, A. (2013). Experiences and perspectives of adults living with systemic lupus erythematosus: Thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Arthritis Care & Research, 65, 1752–1765
Zautra, A. J. (2010). Resilience: Promoting well-being through recovery, sustainability, and growth. Research in Human Development, 7, 221–238.
ch (3rd edition). Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Joyce Muthoni Wang’ombe, Dr Beatrice Kathungu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
