Coping with stigma: the experiences of Chinese patients living with lung cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the experiences of stigma and coping strategies among patients with lung cancer in China. RESEARCH APPROACH Qualitative. SETTING The oncology department at Liaocheng Peoples Hospital. PARTICIPANTS A purposive sample of 17 patients experiencing stigma related to lung cancer voluntarily participated in data collection. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH Individual, semistructured qualitative interviews were chosen. Participants completed about a 30-min focused interview. Exploratory qualitative approach guided data analysis. FINDINGS Three main thematic elements emerged from the interview data:(1) sources of stigma, such as smoking, decreased ability to work, difficulties caring for self and family, damage to self-image, and cough and expectoration; (2) experiences of stigma, including feelings of stigma, remorse, loss of dignity, uselessness, social isolation, perceived exclusion, rejection, and discrimination; and (3) coping strategies, such as concealing the fact of sickness, reducing social activities, seeking medical assistance, adhering to treatment, and disclosing dissatisfaction. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate the presence of perceived stigma among patients with lung cancer. Future work should address the stigma associated with lung cancer and its related factors. INTERPRETATION As point-of-care providers, staff nurses are well positioned to develop effective interventions to help patients deal with stigma and to accomplish the goal of providing holistic nursing care.