Vivências psicológicas em doentes oncológicos e mecanismo de enfrentamento: estudo do caso na oncologia do Hospital Central de Maputo

INTRODUCTION: Cancer is accompanied by aspects related to psychological suffering that generally affect the patient and his/her family. From the moment of diagnosis, the patient faces a set of mechanisms and tasks of adaptation to the disease and its circumstances. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the process of coping with the diagnosis of cervical, breast and prostate cancer in hospitalized cancer patients. METHODOLOGY: Qualitative study, using thematic analysis for data processing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine cancer patients, namely six women and three men hospitalized in the oncology department of the Maputo Central Hospital. The interviews were audio-recorded with the informed consent of each participant and, later, subjected to thematic analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results showed that cancer patients experience moments of psychological suffering characterized by fear, sadness, the establishment of the diagnosis of cancer with death, discomfort associated with the disease and uncertainty about life. They resort to spirituality, family support and conformity as a mechanism to cope with cancer and its impact. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that cancer is generally associated with death, and is accompanied by despair and uncertainty about the future. Patients experience moments of pain, sadness, and anguish related to the illness process, as well as concern about sexual activity with their spouse. Spirituality and family are the basis of support for women in coping with the disease, and one of the men mentioned regular walking as a source of coping with the disease.