Coping Strategies among Oncological Patients’ Family Members

Abstract

Introduction: The family is the main source of support to cancer patients and due to the hospitalization experiences stressful situations, before which you can use coping strategies to deal with these conditions. Objective: To identify the coping strategies used by family members of hospitalized cancer patients. Method: Quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional investigation, with 141 hospitalized oncological patients in a health institution in Northeast of Rio Grande do Sul. Data collect instruments were a form with sociodemographic information and Lazarus & Folkman Coping Strategies Inquiry. Analysis was developed through descriptive statistics with software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Project was approved by Ethics Committee with consubstantial feedback number 427-613. Results: Most family caregivers are women, aged between 41 and 70. Most used coping factors were positive reevaluation and social support, and the less used factors were escape and avoidance. Conclusion: To evaluate coping strategies it is important to subsidize the reflections, discussions and actions of health professionals, students and managers, keeping in sight the ways of changing the posture on assistance to family members of cancer patients.