Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

Cancer is one of those traumatic crises since

being a complex and accumulative stressful life
event, potentially leading also to growth and self-
development. The ability of a person to cope with a
cancer diagnosis depends on the patient’s
appraisal of the situation and of the resources
available to him once dealing with the situation.
INTRODUCTION

In the Philippines, 189 of every 100,000

Filipinos are affected by cancer, with four
Filipinos dying of cancer every hour or 96
cancer patients every day. This is according
to a study undertaken by the University of
the Philippines' Institute of Human Genetics,
National Institutes of Health.
 INTRODUCTION
This study seeks therefore to draw conclusions regarding the role of prayer
and faith among cancer patients, specifically in respect to patient’s well-
being, quality of life and emotional distress. Coping is a crucial aspect in the
development and maintenance of well-being especially once dealing with an
illness. An acute health crisis and its progression is a turning point in an
individual’s life.

Sadness, fear, loneliness and despair are feelings experienced by every

person dealing with a potentially terminal illness (Block, 2018). Patients tend
to get into a "self-examination", trying to find some sense of purpose and
transcendence, a sense of being part of something that is bigger than the
self, thus maintaining a sense of value in a universe that has meaning, order
and control (Greenstein & Breitbart, 2020).
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The study is anchored on the theoretical support

of the gate control theory to a discussion of
treatment of patients with cancer pain is that
descending cortical inputs that affect pain
perception include psychological and
psychosocial variables such as beliefs about
pain, emotions, reactions to stress, and
cognitions.
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The study is anchored on the theoretical support of

the gate control theory to a discussion of treatment of
patients with cancer pain is that descending cortical
inputs that affect pain perception include
psychological and psychosocial variables such as
beliefs about pain, emotions, reactions to stress, and
cognitions.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Being aware of having cancer not only

makes the person loose his hopes and
ambitions, but also influences his body and
mental. Meanwhile, prayer and faith can play
vital role among cancer patient as they hope
for optimum healing. One of the methods to
promote the patient’s life quality is spiritual
care which can be in form of prayer. The
concepts of prayer and faith play an important
role in coping with cancer.
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The patient has to face his weak and

vulnerable situation, his loss of independence
and control over basic movements and needs,
forcing the patient therefore to get used to a
new situation in which activities that are trivial
for a healthy person become an everyday
challenge.
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The philosophical-existential dimension includes dealing with the
meaning of the end of life, self-annihilation, feelings of
worthlessness, emptiness, remorse, disruption of self-identity and
death anxiety (Little & Sayers, 2018; Breitbart & Heller, 2019;
Blinderman & Cherny, 2019).

Very many patients might feel a deep sense of suffering and

emptiness, anger toward God for deserting them or guilt about
being punished for something wrong that they might have done
(Johnson-Taylor, Outlaw, Bernardo & Roy, 2021).
 Coping Mechanism
among Cancer
Prayer and Faith Patients

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study

 This study aims to determine if prayer and
GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF faith are effective coping mechanism
among cancer patients. The study will be
THE STUDY conducted in the municipality of
Sindangan Zamboanga del Norte.
The specific objectives of the study are:

1. Assess the most significant change the participants see now that living with
cancer.
2. Explore how prayer and faith helped during the time of diagnosis and treatment.
3. Determine which forms of prayer and faith as coping mechanism are over all
beneficial for cancer patients psycho-physical well-being in terms of enhanced
quality of life.
4. Determine the reasons why they still cling onto prayer and faith despite having
such illness.
5. Explore the participants view and encouragement to those people who are in the
same way battling with cancer.
 Chapter 2

METHODOLOGY
METHODOLOGY

This presents the discussion of

the method used, research
environment, respondents of the
study, research instrument,
validation of the instrument,
scoring procedure, data
gathering procedure and
statistical treatment of the data of
the study.
 METHODOLOGY

Research Design

A qualitative approach was utilized in this study to investigate

the involvement of prayer and faith in coping mechanism as
method used by the cancer patients. The study employed the
descriptive method of research aid of modified adapted
researcher questionnaire checklist.
METHODOLOGY
Research Setting

The study will be conducted in Sindangan Zamboanga del Norte.

Sindangan, officially the Municipality of Sindangan, is a 1st class
municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.
According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 103,952
people.
Participants of the Study

The participants of the study will consist of all the patients suffering
from cancer among the 52 Barangays of Sindangan, Zamboanga del
Norte. In this research study, random sampling will be used. Random
sampling is a part of the sampling technique in which each sample has
an equal probability of being chosen. A sample chosen randomly is
meant to be an unbiased representation of the total population.
The researchers determined that there are more than 10,952 residents
in Sindangan, Zamboanga Del Norte. This study will require a sample
size of 10 participants of the research.
METHODOLOGY
Research Instruments

A questionnaire with 6 open-ended research questions in a form of

checklist will be used in this study. Data will be collected either through
face-to-face or online interview and distribution of printed
questionnaires to the participants. Questions that will involve in
assessing and determining how prayer and faith is an effective coping
mechanism among the cancer patients.

Data Collection

Before the distribution of the questionnaires, the researchers will secure

permission from the Vice President of the Academic Affairs of Philippine
Advent College to conduct this study. Upon the approval, a letter will be
sent to the Dean of the School of Nursing for approval to field out the
questionnaire to the participants. The researchers will administer the
questionnaires using the instrument to the respondents and will be
retrieved. Upon retrieval, the researchers will review them whether all of
the questions are answered. The data gathered will then be tallied in
tabular form, analyzed and interpreted.
METHODOLOGY
Ethical Consideration

Ethical consideration before, during and after the actual data gathering
procedures will be observed. The respondents will be asked to read and
sign the informed consent before the actual distribution of the
questionnaire or interview commenced. The participants shall be fully
informed about the purpose, benefits and potential risk of the study; they
will be informed that they could withdraw from participating the study
anytime they wanted with the assurance of confidentiality and anonymity
of the information they had given

Data Analysis

The following procedures and strategies are to be implemented so that

the researchers could obtain findings which are detailed, valid, and
reliable: Narrative analysis is a method used to interpret research
participants’ stories things like testimonials, case studies, interviews,
and other text or visual data.
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Q RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE
U PRAYER AND FAITH:
SPIRITUAL COPING AMONG CANCER PATIENTS
E Name: __________________________________ (Optional)

S Age: _________
Directions: Please fill out the information needed in the blank space provided
1. What is a typical day like for you now?
T 2. What has been the most significant change you see in yourself now that you are living with cancer?
I
O 3. Did prayer and faith helped during the time of diagnosis and treatment? How?

N 4. Which forms of prayer and faith as coping mechanism are over all beneficial for cancer patients
psycho-physical well-being in terms of enhanced quality of life?

A 5 . Why still cling onto prayer and faith despite having such illness?
I
R 6. Base on your experiences, what can you say to those people who are battling with the same
disease?

E
The End
Thank you !