The Casual Schemata of Cancer: A Q-Methodlogical Application for Korean Patients

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore the causal perceptions of cancer
that would be the basis for development of nursing intervention. A
Q-methodological approach was desperately needed in this highly
subjective area because prior research had proved inadequate to explain
the most distinctive features of personal viewpoints about critical
health conditions. Results reveal five factors: Self-reliant,
Supernaturalist, Other-dependent, Fate-recipient, and
Self-contradictory. The accounts so revealed are examined in light of
the diverse subjectivity they manifest. A discussion makes note of the
implications for the further development of nursing assessment and
tools.