A phenomenological study of the lived experience of a group of elderly men of African descent diagnosed with prostate cancer, Limpopo Province

Abstract

Prostate cancer is rated a leading cancer among men of African ancestry. Patients identified as black present with advanced and aggressive type of cancer than any other race groups in South Africa. Additionally, black prostate cancer survivors are more likely to use complementary and alternative remedies that are not considered to be part of the conventional medicine to manage their condition. The study was aimed at investigating the lived experiences of a group of elderly prostate cancer survivors of African descent.

The study comprised twenty (20) participants who were all elderly men of African descent diagnosed with prostate cancer and receiving some form of treatment at Pietersburg Provincial Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The participants were all from the three predominant ethnic groups, namely, Pedi, Venda, and Tsonga. The majority of the participants (45%) were Sepedi speakers, followed by Tshivenda speakers (35%) and the Xitsonga speakers making up the remaining 20%. Data was collected through the use of in-depth, semi-structured, individual interviews.

The data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Four themes emerged that covered the prostate cancer journey of the participants. These themes were (a) knowledge about prostate cancer, (b) beliefs about causal explanations of prostate cancer, (c) bearing the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and (d) coping with prostate cancer.

The results revealed an alarming lack of knowledge about prostate cancer among the participants in the study. Secondly, varied beliefs regarding causal explanations of prostate cancer were expressed by the participants. Thirdly, the diagnosis of prostate cancer was associated with anxiety, shock, and despair. Three modes of coping were used by the participants in the study to cope with their morbid condition, namely, religious coping, family and professional support, and cultural/traditional coping methods. A culturally relevant prostate cancer model was subsequently developed to explain prostate cancer journey with survivors of African descent. This model incorporates some elements of the Health Belief Model and the African cosmology or way of life.