Cancer Patients’ Perceptions of Family Psychological Support: A Qualitative Study

Background and Aim: Family psychological support is a highly important concept concerning patients diagnosed with cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate cancer patientsrsquo perceptions of family psychological support. Methods: This study had a qualitative approach using inductive content analysis method. Through purposive sling, 15 patients were selected who underwent semistructured, facetoface interviews. After data collection, all the interviews were transcribed and analyzed via content analysis. Results: In general, 298 codes were extracted and categorized into two main themes: seeking support from family and valuing the patient as a family member. Seeking support from family composed of two subcategories, i.e., emotional support seeking and spiritual support seeking. Also, valuing the patient as a family member had two subcategories consisting of unconditional acceptance and respect. Conclusion: From the point of view of the participants, emotional and spiritual support seeking as well as unconditional acceptance and respect play a significant role in the psychological support of the families for these patients.