Aims

This study was conducted to identify the nature of psychological suffering by patients with advanced cancer, from their subjective experiences.

Methods

We conducted participant observation and non-structured interviews with middle aged to elderly cancer patients attending a general hospital for treatment. The collected data was subjected to qualitative and descriptive analyses..

Results

Data was obtained from 8 patients aged from the 40s to 70s, with a variety of malignancies. We defined ‘psychological suffering’ as “the state of psychological tension and emotional and behavioural problems arising from psychological tension”.

As a result, we identified 38 subcategories and 26 main keywords related to the process moving from a ‘Prior to mental gear shifting’ to ‘Preparation for mental gear shifting’, and finally a ‘Mental gear shifting’ phase.

Conclusion

We confirmed that patients with advanced cancer mentally shift gears, from a concept of life and death as opposites to a concept of life and death coexisting together.