Miri Cohen
University Haifa, Israel
Title: The Role of Sense of Place in Meaning-Making, Meaning-Made and Quality of Life among Cancer Patients at the End of Life
Biography
Biography: Miri Cohen
Abstract
Objective: To expand the existing understanding of meaning in life (meaning-made) and search for meaning (meaning-making) processes, in relation to quality of life among cancer patients near the end of life receiving care either in a home-hospice or hospital setting.
Method: This was a mixed-method study that combined quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Participants were cancer patients near the end of life being treated in either a home hospice or hospital setting. A total of 150 patients completed questionnaires, and an additional 20 patients underwent in-depth interviews.
Findings: The participants treated in home-hospice and hospital settings reported moderate-to-high levels of meaning-made and quality of life, but low levels of meaning making, regardless of setting, nationality or extent of religiosity. Treatment setting was found to not be directly associated with the patients’ meaning and quality of life. Controlling for background variables, meaning-made and meaning-making were associated with quality of life. In addition, meaning-made mediated the associations between treatment setting and quality of life. The content analysis of the in-depth interviews expanded these findings by identifying various sources of meaning at the end of life and their relations to place of treatment.
Conclusions: The study revealed the complexity of the relationship between patients and treatment setting. This study is one of the first to examine meaning in life in the context of treatment setting, thus expanding the current understanding of the impact of treatment setting at the end of life.