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Lilliehorn, S., Isaksson, J. & Salander, P. (2023). Two sides of the same coin: Oncology social workers’ experiences of their working life and its pros and cons. Nordic Social Work Research, 13(2), 267-279
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Two sides of the same coin: Oncology social workers’ experiences of their working life and its pros and cons
2023 (English)In: Nordic Social Work Research, ISSN 2156-857X, E-ISSN 2156-8588, Vol. 13, no 2, p. 267-279Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

From the literature we learn that social workers in health care are exposed to different stressors connected to the risk for the development of burnout or traumatization. However, there is a lack of studies that focuses on the social workers’ own narratives on the burdensome, but also the rewarding aspects, of social work in health care. This study focuses on social work in oncology. Thematically structured qualitative interviews were conducted in a narrative form with 20 oncology social workers, half of whom were less experienced and half of whom were more experienced and with additional training in psychotherapy. The interviews focused on ‘pros and cons of practicing social work’ and the results were categorized by means of the similarities-differences technique. The burdensome cons concerned ‘Organizational and professional barriers’ and ‘Demanding cases’, with the latter divided into ‘Impasse because of hopelessness’ and ‘Impasse because of helplessness’. The rewarding pros categories all concerned meaningfulness including ‘Organizational meaningfulness’, ‘Meaningfulness from giving’, ‘Meaningfulness from receiving’, and ‘Meaningfulness from personal development’. Our findings indicate that the burdensome and rewarding aspects are two sides of the same coin. They are interconnected in the sense that the strain and challenge of being in situations of psychological despair also imply emotional satisfaction due to an experience of meaningfulness.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2023
Keywords
cancer, clinical function, counselling, oncology social work
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-186676 (URN)10.1080/2156857X.2021.1958907 (DOI)2-s2.0-85148650679 (Scopus ID)
Funder
The Kamprad Family Foundation, 20150039
Available from: 2021-08-17 Created: 2021-08-17 Last updated: 2023-07-14Bibliographically approved
Salander, P. (2019). Communication training in oncology needs a theoretical framework [Letter to the editor]. Annals of Oncology, 30(5), 853-853
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Communication training in oncology needs a theoretical framework
2019 (English)In: Annals of Oncology, ISSN 0923-7534, E-ISSN 1569-8041, Vol. 30, no 5, p. 853-853Article in journal, Letter (Refereed) Published
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press, 2019
Keywords
cancer, communication, guidelines
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-156443 (URN)10.1093/annonc/mdz078 (DOI)000482490300023 ()30824910 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85067476093 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2019-02-15 Created: 2019-02-15 Last updated: 2023-03-23Bibliographically approved
Isaksson, J., Lilliehorn, S. & Salander, P. (2019). Next of kin's motives for psychosocial consultation: Oncology social workers' perceptions of 54 next of kin cases. Psycho-Oncology, 28(1), 154-159
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Next of kin's motives for psychosocial consultation: Oncology social workers' perceptions of 54 next of kin cases
2019 (English)In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 28, no 1, p. 154-159Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Objective: Although oncology social workers (OSWs) have emerged as a core profession in the provision of psychosocial services, there is a lack of empirical studies that describe their daily clinical work with next of kin (NOK). The overall aim of this study was to explore NOK's motives for consulting an OSW. This can provide us with insights into what types of skills OSWs need to have in order to fulfil their duties.

Methods: From a nationwide survey, we used data from 54 NOK cases that Swedish OSWs met face to face.

Results: About half of the motives concerned help in dealing with personal grief connected to the patients' cancer and distressing symptoms, while the other half concerned needs for help in dealing with the position of being the NOK, relationship conflicts, and assistance with socio‐economic issues.

Conclusions: The motives show that NOK does not just ask for help to come to terms with distress related to the patient's situation. Based on the diversity of motives, we suggest that OSWs (at least in Sweden) need a broad education in counselling psychology. Furthermore, health care personnel need to be attentive to the NOK's own voice and not reduce it to the voice of the patient and the patient's needs in referrals.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2019
Keywords
cancer, counselling, next of kin’s motives, oncology, oncology social workers
National Category
Social Work Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-152788 (URN)10.1002/pon.4925 (DOI)000456283900019 ()30346070 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85056327253 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2018-10-24 Created: 2018-10-24 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
Lilliehorn, S., Isaksson, J. & Salander, P. (2019). What does an oncology social worker deal with in patient consultations?: An empirical study. Social work in health care, 58(5), 494-508
Open this publication in new window or tab >>What does an oncology social worker deal with in patient consultations?: An empirical study
2019 (English)In: Social work in health care, ISSN 0098-1389, E-ISSN 1541-034X, Vol. 58, no 5, p. 494-508Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The oncology social worker is a core profession in the psycho- social care of cancer patients, and has been scrutinised accord- ing to its role, function, and delivery of care, primarily from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. There is, however, a lack of studies outside this context, and empirical studies based on individual data. This study is a contribution by exploring the variability in clinical practice from a Swedish perspective. It is based on documentation from one oncology social worker’s (OSW’s) patient contacts over the course of one year. The essence of the majority of contacts was counseling and the patients dis- played a wide variety of motives for seeing an OSW. The function of the OSW is thus multifaceted, and the findings suggest that the OSW, in addition to guiding patients in social legislation issues, also should be prepared to act as an anchor in an acute crisis, contain despair in different phases of the trajectory, and facilitate the ‘carrying on as before’ or finding a ‘new normal’. The paper discusses the importance of the OSW being acquainted with different counseling/psychother- apy perspectives in the illness context, but primarily the impor- tance of having the ability to establish a ‘working alliance’ with their patients.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2019
Keywords
Cancer, counseling, clinical practice, oncology social work
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-157648 (URN)10.1080/00981389.2019.1587661 (DOI)000464332400005 ()30901286 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85063277086 (Scopus ID)
Funder
The Kamprad Family Foundation, 20150039
Available from: 2019-03-27 Created: 2019-03-27 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
Isaksson, J., Lilliehorn, S. & Salander, P. (2018). Cancer patients' motives for psychosocial consultation: Oncology social workers' perceptions of 226 patient cases. Psycho-Oncology, 27(4), 1180-1184
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Cancer patients' motives for psychosocial consultation: Oncology social workers' perceptions of 226 patient cases
2018 (English)In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 27, no 4, p. 1180-1184Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Objective: Although oncology social workers (OSWs) have emerged as a core profession in the provision of psychosocial  services, there is a lack of empirical studies that describe their daily clinical work with patients. The overall aim of this study was to explore cancer patients' motives for consulting an OSW.

Methods: From a nationwide survey, we used data from 226 patient cases that OSWs met face to face. The OSWs were asked to describe how the case was referred to them, the patient's characteristics, and what they perceived as the patient's motives for contacting them as well as additional motives that came up during the consultations.

Results: Patients have different motives for consulting an OSW, and these motives change over the course of consultations; while feeling associated with being diagnosed with cancer were often the initial motive, questions associated with moving on in life and dealing with relationships and the overall life situation were added over time.

Conclusions: The results show that Swedish OSWs' function is multifaceted and that the initial motives among patients rarely predicts the content in consultations over time. Based on the diversity of motives, it seems obvious that OSWs (at least in Sweden) need a broad education in the psychology of counselling. It also seems obvious that even if patients initially were referred by health care staff to the OSW due to psychological reactions to being ill, staff should also be attentive to the fact that relational and socio-economic/juridical issues are of great concern for the patients.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2018
Keywords
cancer, counseling, oncology, oncology social workers, patients' motives
National Category
Social Work Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-144286 (URN)10.1002/pon.4633 (DOI)000430230400010 ()2-s2.0-85045136304 (Scopus ID)
Projects
A nationwide study of the function of the social worker in cancer care and rehabilitation: the present status and prospects for the future
Funder
The Kamprad Family Foundation, 20150039
Available from: 2018-01-30 Created: 2018-01-30 Last updated: 2023-09-05Bibliographically approved
Salander, P., Isaksson, J. & Lilliehorn, S. (2018). Kuratorsfunktionen i svensk cancersjukvård: en nationell genomlysning. Omsorg: Nordisk tidsskrift for Palliativ Medisin (3), 62-65
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Kuratorsfunktionen i svensk cancersjukvård: en nationell genomlysning
2018 (Swedish)In: Omsorg: Nordisk tidsskrift for Palliativ Medisin, ISSN 0800-7489, no 3, p. 62-65Article in journal (Other academic) Published
Abstract [sv]

Socialarbetaren (kuratorn) är den profession som i svensk cancersjukvård specifikt står för det psykosociala perspektivet. Föreliggande studie analyserar kuratorns verksamhet med utgångspunkt i patienters motiv till att söka upp kurator. Utfallet ger vid handen att motiven inte i första hand är socioekonomiska eller juridiska, utan i stället psykologiska, och förtrogenhet med det councelling-orienterade samtalet är därför efterfrågat och centralt. Detta bör beaktas när man planerar för legitimation av kuratorer i hälso- och sjukvård.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Fagbokforlaget, 2018
Keywords
cancer, counselling, kurator, patientmotiv, socionom
National Category
Social Work Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-149287 (URN)
Projects
A nationwide study of the function of the social worker in cancer care and rehabilitation: the present status and prospects for the future
Funder
The Kamprad Family Foundation, 20150039
Available from: 2018-06-19 Created: 2018-06-19 Last updated: 2018-12-13Bibliographically approved
Lilliehorn, S. & Salander, P. (2018). Living at a residency away from home during radiotherapy as narrated by 52 patients with breast cancer: a cage of safety and discomfort. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(4), 450-456
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Living at a residency away from home during radiotherapy as narrated by 52 patients with breast cancer: a cage of safety and discomfort
2018 (English)In: Disability and Rehabilitation, ISSN 0963-8288, E-ISSN 1464-5165, Vol. 40, no 4, p. 450-456Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Purpose: In the Nordic countries many patients with cancer conclude their treatment with 5–6 weeks of radiotherapy while staying at a residency far away from home. The experience of this stay, from a rehabilitation perspective, has not previously been studied.

Method: Fifty-two women with breast cancer were followed with repeated thematic interviews from diagnosis up to 2 years.

Results: The majority of women saw both pros and cons with their stay, and overall the stay could be described as “A cage of safety and discomfort”. Pros included “Safety”, “Closeness and learning”, and “Feeling like being on holiday”, while cons included “An intruding self-image”, “Isolation and increased vulnerability”, and “A loss of function”. Some patients supported their own rehabilitation by socializing with their “fellow sisters”, while others isolated themselves and mainly found it burdensome to be there.

Conclusions: The residence becomes an interactional field with the potential to facilitate patients in resuming a new everyday life. The women who do not interact with others and/or who are stuck with feelings of anxiety should be offered the opportunity to take part in a group exclusively for “fellow sisters” in a similar situation.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2018
Keywords
breast cancer, oncology, patient hotel, radiotherapy
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-127571 (URN)10.1080/09638288.2016.1261412 (DOI)000415941300009 ()27973918 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85006137614 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2016-11-16 Created: 2016-11-16 Last updated: 2018-09-28Bibliographically approved
Salander, P. (2018). "Spirituality" hardly facilitates our understanding of existential distress - but "everyday life" might. Psycho-Oncology, 27(11), 2654-2656
Open this publication in new window or tab >>"Spirituality" hardly facilitates our understanding of existential distress - but "everyday life" might
2018 (English)In: Psycho-Oncology, ISSN 1057-9249, E-ISSN 1099-1611, Vol. 27, no 11, p. 2654-2656Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The existential predicament of being human might come to the fore when we are stricken by cancer, perhaps primarily because we are removed from the shelter inherent in our routines of everyday life. These routines might help us to deal with the ultimate concerns of life, ie, isolation, freedom, meaninglessness, and death.1 We recognise these conceptualisations from European existential philosophy. However, instead of discussing the existential challenge in these terms, it has become far more popular in the scientific literature to instead make use of “spirituality” as a frame of reference. Broadly speaking, there has been a roughly 26‐fold increase in the number of papers focused on “spirituality” from the 1980s to the 2000s,2 and nearly all studies on “spiritual care” have emanated from the United States and the United Kingdom.3

In this paper, I will briefly scrutinise the concept of “spirituality” first by critically reflecting on how the concept is constructed, defined, and made use of; in other words, what are “spirituality” researchers talking about? Second, I will question its validity, and third I will question the legitimacy of the cherished research concluding that “spirituality” alleviates distress and promotes well‐being. Finally, I will briefly, as roughly outlined above, suggest that “everyday life,” a bottom‐up perspective grounded in the patients' way of living their lives, might be a more fruitful conceptualisation that we should pay attention to in order to widen our scope when it comes to understanding how patients deal with distress.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2018
Keywords
cancer, everyday life, spirituality
National Category
Social Sciences
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-147916 (URN)10.1002/pon.4784 (DOI)29843191 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85055996603 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2018-05-22 Created: 2018-05-22 Last updated: 2018-11-12Bibliographically approved
Isaksson, J., Lilliehorn, S. & Salander, P. (2017). A nationwide study of Swedish oncology social workers: Characteristics, clinical functions and perceived barriers to optimal functioning. Social work in health care, 56(7), 600-614
Open this publication in new window or tab >>A nationwide study of Swedish oncology social workers: Characteristics, clinical functions and perceived barriers to optimal functioning
2017 (English)In: Social work in health care, ISSN 0098-1389, E-ISSN 1541-034X, Vol. 56, no 7, p. 600-614Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Oncology social workers (OSWs) play a key role in cancer services, but they have mainly been described from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. This study aims to widen the field by scrutinizing the role and function of OSWs in Sweden. By means of a nationwide questionnaire to Swedish OSWs, the professional characteristics of this group are described, as well as their descriptions and reflections on their clinical function and their experiences of barriers to optimal functioning. Our findings indicate that Swedish OSWs seem to have taken a different path than in other countries by mainly providing therapeutic treatment and counselling to the patients rather than working with discharge planning. However, due to a mismatch between clinical demands and the training of Swedish OSWs, some suggestions are provided for future social work education in Sweden.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis, 2017
Keywords
cancer, clinical function, counseling, education, oncology social work, training
National Category
Social Work Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-133284 (URN)10.1080/00981389.2017.1316340 (DOI)000406580000003 ()2-s2.0-85019151244 (Scopus ID)
Projects
A nationwide study of the function of the social worker in cancer care and rehabilitation: the present status and prospects for the future
Funder
The Kamprad Family Foundation, 20150039
Available from: 2017-04-03 Created: 2017-04-03 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
Blaschke, S., O'Callaghan, C., Schofield, P. & Salander, P. (2017). Cancer patients' experiences with nature: Normalizing dichotomous realities. Social Science and Medicine, 172, 107-114
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Cancer patients' experiences with nature: Normalizing dichotomous realities
2017 (English)In: Social Science and Medicine, ISSN 0277-9536, E-ISSN 1873-5347, Vol. 172, p. 107-114Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Aims: To explore cancer patients' subjective experiences with nature in order to examine the relevance of nature-based care opportunities in cancer care contexts. The rationale was to describe the underlying mechanisms of this interaction and produce translatable knowledge. Methods: Qualitative research design informed by grounded theory. Sampling was initially convenience and then theoretical. Competent adults with any cancer diagnosis were eligible to participate in a semi structured interview exploring views about the role of nature in their lives. Audio-recorded and transcribed interviews were analyzed using inductive, cyclic, and constant comparative analysis. Results: Twenty cancer patients (9 female) reported detailed description about their experiences with nature from which a typology of five common nature interactions emerged. A theory model was generated constituting a core category and two inter-related themes explaining a normalization process in which patients negotiate their shifting realities (Core Category). Nature functioned as a support structure and nurtured patients' inner and outer capacities to respond and connect more effectively (Theme A). Once enabled and comforted, patients could engage survival and reconstructive maneuvers and explore the consequences of cancer (Theme B). A dynamic relationship was evident between moving away while, simultaneously, advancing towards the cancer reality in order to accept a shifting normality. From a place of comfort and safety, patients felt supported to deal differently and more creatively with the threat and demands of cancer diagnosis, treatment and outlook. Conclusions: New understanding about nature's role in cancer patients' lives calls attention to recognizing additional forms of psychosocial care that encourage patients' own coping and creative processes to deal with their strain and, in some cases, reconstruct everyday lives. Further research is required to determine how nature opportunities can be feasibly delivered in the cancer care setting.

Keywords
cancer, supportive care, nature, normalization, coping, attachment theory
National Category
Social Psychology Nursing
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-127031 (URN)10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.10.024 (DOI)000392554300014 ()27839897 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85001907809 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2016-10-26 Created: 2016-10-26 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-9998-2574

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