Research Chronicle, 2006 - School of Nursing - University of North ...

10
Coping in Older African American Survivors
Turning to God, helping others and getting assistance from family
and friends. These are all ways cancer survivors choose to cope
with the diagnosis. No one handles living through cancer in the
same fashion, and little information exists about how older African
Americans manage survivorship.
For African American cancer survivors over age 55, turning to God
is often the preferred support mechanism, according to research
conducted by SON faculty member Jill Hamilton, PhD, RN.
“Many say that their relationship with God provides the kind
of support that is not available from family members and friends,”
Hamilton said about her research findings thus far. “God is there
when no one else is.”
With funding from the NINR and the National Center for
Minority Health & Health Disparities (NCMHD), NIH, Hamilton is
evaluating a questionnaire she developed to assess coping
strategies of older African American cancer survivors. Part of her
research will focus on support provided from God and from family
and friends.
In the questionnaire, Hamilton asks survivors about
the support they receive from family and friends,
aspects of their spirituality and how they give
back to others. So far, she said, many survivors
“We have needed a better
measure to determine how older
African American survivors use
social support to cope with
their experience,” Hamilton
said. “We need this
information to coach
family members on
ways to provide
better support.”
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL SCHOOL OF NURSING
RESEARCH CHRONICLE 2006–2007
have expressed feelings and shared information about how they
cope that family members present during the interviews said they
had not previously known.
“We have needed a better measure to determine how older
African American survivors use social support to cope with their
experience,” she said. “We need this information to coach family
members on ways to provide better support.”
Hamilton does not intend to use the results of her
questionnaire to tell people what type of coping strategies or
support mechanisms they need. Rather, she sees the goal of her
research as helping both family members and survivors identify
ways they can better provide support to themselves and each
other. Older African Americans are often reluctant to ask for help,
and Hamilton said she hopes her questionnaire will provide a way
for them to communicate their needs to family members or others
who can provide assistance.