Elsevier

Annals of Oncology

Volume 23, Supplement 3, April 2012, Pages iii62-iii65
Annals of Oncology

symposium articles
Cultural diversity: family path through terminal illness

https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mds090Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

ABSTRACT

In trying to comprehend a culture and its ways of structuring the world, much can be learned from addressing the manner in which intimate family relationships are ordered and family crises channeled toward care. A family's experience with illness cannot be considered in isolation from the cultural milieu in which it occurs. Family adaptation to cancer diagnosis is a continuous motion between many critical strata – a fragile oscillation between hope and desperation. Processes for optimal functioning and the well-being of members are seen to vary over time, as challenges unfold and families evolve across the life cycle and illness trajectory. The manner in which the healthcare system and family manage illness and terminal care is a particularly helpful window into the cultural, religious and traditional values of every family in a particular society.

Key words

cultural diversity
cancer
family
terminal illness

Cited by (0)

*

The editors have declared no conflicts of interest.

*

The editors have declared no conflicts of interest.

*

The editors have declared no conflicts of interest.