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Clinical Trial
. 2013 May;37(5):496-502.
doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2012.12.007. Epub 2013 Jan 24.

Abducted by the illness: a qualitative study of traumatic stress in individuals with acute leukemia

Rinat Nissim  1 , Camilla Zimmermann, Mark Minden, Anne Rydall, Dora Yuen, Ashley Mischitelle, Lucia Gagliese, Aaron Schimmer, Gary Rodin
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Abducted by the illness: a qualitative study of traumatic stress in individuals with acute leukemia

Rinat Nissim et al. Leuk Res. 2013 May.

Abstract

Symptoms of traumatic stress are common in acute leukemia. The goal of the present qualitative study was to understand this traumatic stress, as perceived by patients. Participants were 43 patients with acute leukemia in Toronto, Canada. Participants were asked in serial interviews about their experience of diagnosis and treatment. A total of 65 interviews were analyzed utilizing the grounded theory method. Our findings provide insight into the traumatic experience of the diagnosis and treatment, as well as the initial psychological response to this trauma. Patients coped by surrendering control to the medical team, in whom they felt great trust. Patients also expressed a strong preference for limited information, with a preference to avoid discussions about overall prognosis. These results may inform interventions to relieve traumatic stress in this high risk population.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in preparing this article.

Comment in

References

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