EXPERIENCES OF SPOUSES OF MEN WITH ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER IN THE ACCRA METROPOLIS

ABSTRACT 

Spouses play significant roles in the care of their husbands. This comes with a lot of experiences in times of ill-health of the men and may have several effects on the spousal caregiver. It is likely to affect the woman’s physical, social, psychological and spiritual wellbeing. This study therefore explored the experiences of spouses of men with advanced prostate cancer in the Accra Metropolis using the Quality of Life Model Applied to Family Caregivers (Ferrell, 2001) as an organising framework to understand their experiences. An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design with purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit women above 18 years living with and having any intimate relationship with men with advanced prostate cancer within the Accra Metropolis. Data saturation was achieved with sample size of 13 participants. The recruitment outlet was the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection from only participants who signed an informed consent form. The interviews were recorded with participants’ permission, and transcribed. Anonymity and confidentiality were ensured during the study. Braun and Clarke’s technique of thematic content analysis was adopted for data analysis. Five major themes were derived and described as follows: Physical, social, psychological, spiritual wellbeing and spousal involvement. It was found that spouses of men with advanced prostate cancer experienced fatigue, sleep disruptions, pain, loss of appetite and effects of pre-existing diseases. The spouses experienced isolation, financial burden, had no time for leisure activities. Again, the spouses experienced anxiety, depression, and fear but had hope for their husbands’ recovery. It was also revealed that the participants lacked adequate knowledge in prostate cancer and were not involved in the treatment of their husbands. It was recommended that spouses should be included in the choice of treatment and care for men with advanced prostate cancer, and there should be support groups for spouses of men with advanced prostate cancer.