Table 4 Response categories of the themes repeatedly occurring in men’s expressions of positive and negative thoughts about prostate cancer before surgery based on a qualitative content analysis of written responses to open-ended questions
Freely describe your positive thoughts about prostate cancer | ||
|---|---|---|
Response categories according to content analysis | Subject themes in responses | Examples of written expression |
Existential | • Positive change of life | “I can be positive to the fact that I know. The truth is easier than the lie, self-illusion. The hope for a continued meaningful life exists.” |
• Enjoy the present | “A new experience that I can learn from… about myself or others and the terms of life. Maybe I will enjoy life and others and myself even better. Live healthier – avoid stress.” | |
• Overcome | ||
Relief | • Not spread (advanced) | “… that it was detected at an early stage and is not aggressive.” |
• Found in time | ||
• Finally some results | ||
Support | • Family and friends | “There are many who are praying for me. Have got so much encouraging response from those around me.” |
• Other’s experience | “Four of my colleagues have had it and recovered.” | |
• Good information | ||
Surgical care | • Symptom relief | “That I will be fine and will not need to go up and pee three times per night.” |
• Cure of cancer | “After surgery it will be cured.” | |
• Regaining health | ||
• Faith in surgeon | ||
• Faith in surgery | ||
Freely describe your negative thoughts about prostate cancer | ||
Response categories according to content analysis | Subject themes in responses | Examples of written expression |
Existential | • Quality of life | “Why me?” |
• Death | “Why does this happen to me? Me who is always so careful? What has made the cancer grow?” | |
• The future | “The fear that it will end with me dying and leave the family with the grief.” | |
• Health | ||
Emotional | • Fright | “Worried about insufficiencies, loneliness, fragility, impotence, to be regarded as unpleasant.” |
• Anger | ||
• Worry | ||
• Anxiety | ||
• Uncertainty | ||
Preparedness | • Relative affected | “My brother had a tough ride” |
• Sneaky disease | “My father died of it at the same age as I am now.” | |
• “Cancer” | “… don’t really understand why and how it has appeared.” | |
• Incomprehensible | ||
• Premature | ||
Mistrust | • Fail to be cured | “Occasionally, even a routine operation fails…” |
• Disbelief | “.. I think that the doctor is just comforting me when he is saying I will be cured.” | |
• Pessimistic information | ||
• Treatment choice | ||