Alliance of Support for Low-Income Latino Men with Prostate Cancer
God, Doctor and Self
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 51, no. 3, Sep. 2012, p. 752-762
Posted on RAND.org on July 13, 2010
Utilizing qualitative methods, this study describes the perceptions of and reliance on spirituality among indigent Latino men with prostate cancer. Sixty men were interviewed in Spanish. Transcripts were transcribed verbatim, translated, and analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Common across all men was a process involving the formation of an alliance of support that included God, doctors, and self. From this alliance, men drew strength to manage their disease, maintained hope for the future, and found new existential meaning. By recognizing the potential value of this alliance, health care professionals may tap into a beneficial empowering resource for some Latino men.
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