“Al-Khabith”—The malignant cunning disease: Sociocultural complexity and social representations of cancer in the occupied Palestinian territory

Abstract

This qualitative research aims to understand the sociocultural complexity and social representations of cancer in the occupied Palestinian territory. The researcher conducted 16 in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territory, using thematic analysis as a methodology and social representation theory as the theatrical framework. The findings revealed three main themes. The first theme is social representations of cancer and cancer treatments divided into four subthemes: (1.1) manifestations of dilemmatic indeterminacy and vagueness. The second subtheme (1.2) refers to social representations of cancer in close proximity with death. The third subtheme (1.3) is constituted by metaphorical social representations of cancer, and the fourth (1.4) refers to social representations of cancer. The second theme is the paradoxical social representations of cancer patients as divided into three subthemes: (2.1) pity-based societal responses, (2.2) manifestations of stigma, and (2.3) cancer rumors, a form of collective sense-making. The third theme, religious discourses and social representations of cancer, is divided into three subthemes: (3.1) cancer as predestined by the will of God, (3.2) cancer as a punishment or a trial,

Depression, hope and social support among older people with cancer: a comparison of Muslim Palestinian and Jewish Israeli cancer patients

“…It may be cautiously speculated that Muslims perceive cancer as terminal and, therefore, in some way as a divine death sentence [26]. Consequently, a cancer diagnosis may, at least in some cases, carry a social stigma and be characterized by secrecy and shame [16,31,32].…”

Religiosity as a Cultural Resource for Arab-Palestinian Women’s Coping with Cancer

“…The importance of "Tawakkul" (reliance on the power of God) was found among both Palestinian caregivers and cancer patients (Hammoudeh et al, 2017). These findings show how religion and spirituality incorporate internal and external beliefs and values, and how these interwoven beliefs are deeply rooted in the Palestinian sociocultural system (see also Albarghouthi & Klempe, 2019).…”

Psychological Reflection of Cultural Diversity: Older Muslim and Jewish Women Diagnosed with Cancer or Caring for a Spouse with Cancer

“…It is of course both necessary and important at the outset of this discussion, to acknowledge the speci c geo-political background against which these ndings are framed, recognizing existing socioeconomic and educational disparities. As regards access to health care, a recent review of cancer care within the Palestinian Healthcare system noted that while overall health care is actually one of the best among Arab countries, nonetheless palliative care is extremely sparse, and still remains an emerging specialty, lacking a formal organized program [21,22]. Despite this important caveat, it nonetheless is plausible that divergent conceptions, as well as possible misconceptions, of cancer within the Muslim and Jewish groups included in this study result from a combination of their different traditions, languages and health perceptions.…”

“…In time, despite the Middle East's geopolitical complexity, it is likely that increasing educational opportunities and shifting gender roles within traditional cultures will in uence the psychological responses and dynamics described in our study. Our study highlights today's need to be proactive in identifying and addressing depression; understanding and incorporating hope into the therapeutic context; and, perhaps most importantly, attempt to understand the low levels of perceived social support reported by Muslim Palestinian women in our study [12,22].…”