Coping with the cancer experience. II. Evaluating an education and support programme for cancer patients and their significant others.

As reported, cancer patients and their significant others need information promoting their understanding of events throughout the illness, and support in mobilizing coping strategies when they consider the situational demands to exceed their personal resources. In the present study the provision of information was merged into the field of education and combined with emotional support to facilitate efforts to cope with the cancer experience. A patient education programme entitled Learning to live with cancer was developed (part I) and evaluated (part II). Cancer patients and their significant others (n = 127) participated in group sessions. Open interviews organized around experiences of increased knowledge and understanding, decreased confusion and anxiety, and enhanced coping capacity related to participation in the programme were conducted with the participants. The interviews were analysed using the Grounded Theory approach. The findings indicate that supportive education, sensitively responsive to expressed learning needs and learning capability, has the power to promote proper understanding and facilitate coping efforts. Becoming familiar with facts and feelings reinforced confidence in evolving appropriate coping strategies for living with cancer.