Hope is of great importance for patients diagnosed with cancer, especially those that are terminally ill. The diagnosis often puts an end to the realization of personal, social, and professional goals. The aim of this study was to characterize the hope of hospitalized patients diagnosed with cancer in the terminal phase of the disease. The research tool used in the study was Block’s hope test (NCN-36; NCN- Nadzieja Chorych Nowotworowych—Hope of Cancer Patients), designed for patients with life-threatening diseases. The results showed that the patients were characterized by a moderate level of global hope. The highest levels of hope were noted in the spiritual-religious area and the lowest levels of hope concerned curing the disease. Patients exhibited varied levels of hope and varied internal structures of hope. They presented four different types of hope: optimistic, moderate, religious, and weak. Optimistic hope was found most frequently in patients diagnosed with a terminal phase of cancer, while weak hope was represented by the smallest group of these patients.

Introduction. The objective of the presented research is to characterize hope in the situational dimension, i.e., health, in the patients with cancer in the terminal phase of the disease, being treated in hospices and palliative care centers. Hope is very important for all the patients, especially for patients with cancer in various phases of the disease. Giving up on oncologic therapy and causal treatment is often associated with a transition into palliative care. When death and a loss of values become a threat, the individual has got hope to rely on. Material and Methods. The study relies on the Test to Measure Hope in the Health Context (NCN-36) by B.L. Block. 246 patients in the terminal phase of cancer participated in the study. Results. The internal structure of hope of recovery in the patients’ group was varied. The patients showed low levels of hope of recovery since they do not believe in the effectiveness of treatment. They were also not convinced of the effectiveness of modifications in dieting, lifestyle, or the use of nonconventional medicine. They trusted the doctor in charge and were moderately satisfied with the therapy in use. The intensity of hope of recovery was on the low level in the patients in the terminal phase of cancer. Age, sex, place of living, and marital status had a significant influence on the level of hope of recovery. Variables such as living on one’s own or living with one’s family, socioeconomic status, education, or profession did not affect the level of hope of recovery. Conclusions. The presented results allowed as to conclude that the assessment of hope in terminally ill cancer patients can be considered as one of the important tools enabling the personalization and the improvement of palliative care.

The aim of this research is to compare the hope experienced by advanced cancer patients in the terminal phase of neoplastic disease in relation to the stability of their basic mood. The study group consisted of 246 patients, average age 59.5. The youngest respondent was 18 and the oldest was 90. The diagnostic tools used in the work comprised the Personal Card designed by T. Witkowski (PC) and an NCN-36 test (Block’s Hope test), designed by B.L. Block to measure the strength of hope in people struggling with serious life-threatening diseases. The test consists of 4 subscales distinguished by factor analysis. Each subscale consists of 8 items. The test allows an evaluation of hope in the following dimensions: situational dimension (health, thelic-temporal dimension), goals to be achieved in the future, spiritual dimension (spirituality), religious beliefs, and emotional-motivational (affective) dimension (motivations). In cheerful patients who are in the terminal phase of cancer, mood stability does not constitute a major differentiating factor for experiencing hope. In sad people, on the other hand, mood stability affects the intensity of hope—those with an unstable mood are more likely to have a stronger emotional-motivational dimension of hope than sad people with a balanced mood.

Objective. The aim of the study is to compare the hope of rural and urban inhabitants in the terminal stage of a neoplastic disease covered by stationary hospice care. Materials and method. The study was carried out among patients in the terminal phase of a neoplastic disease. They were patients of both 24-hour and daily palliative and hospice care units throughout the country. The study group consisted of 246 patients, average age-59.5, the youngest respondent was 18 and the oldest-90. The B. L. Block (NCN-36) test, prepared for people struggling with serious life-threatening diseases, was used. Comparison of the results with regard to the place of residence was based on the test Friedman ANOVA and Kendall compatibility factor. The general comparison of hope in individual dimensions and globally with the division into the degree of urbanization, was based on the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. On the basis of factor analysis, 4 scales constructed from 8 items branch were distinguished. The following scales are used to study hope in the situational dimension-health, the telek-temporal dimension-goals, the spiritual dimension-religious beliefs and in the emotional-affective (affective) dimension-motivations. Conclusions. The strength of hope in people in the terminal phase of cancer, residing in villages, settlements, small, medium and large cities, was similar and depended on its magnitude. Of all the manifestations of hope, the greatest variation in results occurred in the subjects when they encountered serious problems and difficulties. The inhabitants of medium-sized cities were characterized by a higher hope at that time.

Summary:The aim of this study was to determine and compare the degree of acceptance of the disease and the level of satisfaction with life among people with diagnosed hypertension. The research was carried out by means of a diagnostic survey. The study used the scale of AIS -Approval Illness Scale (Acceptance of Illness Scale). For measuring life satisfaction ladder Cantrill was used. It assessed satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10. The study was conducted in June 2014 among the residents of Lubelskie and Świętokrzyskie voivodships. The study was anonymous. The approval of the Bioethics Committee at the Medical University of Lublin (KE-0254/176/2014) was received for carrying out the tests. The study included patients diagnosed with hypertension -total of 154 people. The study has shown the average degree of acceptance of the disease. Illness and healing therapy did not impact negatively the functioning of most respondents. The respondents described their adaptation to the limitations imposed by the disease in different degrees. The vast majority of respondents did not have any problems arising from the disease and did not abandon their favorite activities. Every third respondent with hypertension felt as being a defective person and dependent on other people. The relation between satisfaction with their own lives, and the level of acceptance of the disease was concluded in that study. The higher the degree of satisfaction with patients' lives, the higher the acceptance of illness. Studies have shown positive correlations between gender, age, place of residence, duration of illness and education, and acceptance of the disease. In contrast, there was no statistically significant association between marital status and the test subject.