37-8 Exploring the Family Relationships and Spiritual Experiences of Christian Cancer-laden Housewives from a Systemic Framework
Taking the a narrative approach with the ”whole-content analysis” method, this researcher interviewed four female Christian cancer patients. Two were breast cancer patients who had already been Christians for years, and two were divorced women (one with colon cancer and one with vaginal cancer) who were Christian seekers looking into Christianity . In-depth interviews with the subjects ranged from four to eight hours. It was found that the states of the body, mind, and spirit of cancer-laden housewives were correlated to their family relationships and reflected their socio-cultural contexts. The cancer experience inflicted further marriage trauma for the divorced women who, and encountered spirituality and spiritual healing while looking back on the hardships they endured during marriage. Through reflecting upon family relationships before becoming ill, the married women realized how they had adjusted from the role of care-giver of for the family to that of care-giver for to themselves and increased their trust in God's transcendental power, reflecting on the meaning of ”rebirth”. Their spiritual growth maintained a dialectic relationship with spiritual struggle. Spiritual struggles due to cancer induced physical pain, depression, marital relationships, conflicts with in-laws and alienation from church. Cancer is not only personal disease but also the issues of family relationship. The researcher attempted to construct a theory regarding the ”body, mind and spirit within relational context” through using a systematic framework.
Keywords
cancer-laden housewives ； Christian ； family relationships ； narrative research
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