Title: Cancer survivorship: Meaning making and coping among a group of prostate cancer patients in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore the role of religion in meaning making and coping among a group of black patients receiving some form of prostate cancer (PCa) treatment at a public hospital in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A sample of 20 PCa patients, with ages ranging from 67 to 85 years (mean age =76yrs; SD: 5.3) selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth, semistructured individual interviews and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The findings demonstrated that religion is an important factor in meaning making and coping by prostate cancer survivors. The findings suggest that healthcare practitioners need to pay close attention to the meanings that cancer patients assign to their illness to provide the appropriate care and support.