The Importance of Humour in Oncology: A Survey of Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

Abstract

Background: Humour has long been considered an important coping tool for patients with cancer, but published quantitative data about its significance are limited. The purpose of our study was to survey patients with cancer undergoing radiotherapy regarding their opinions about the use of humour in their care. Methods: An anonymous 35-item questionnaire evaluating the patient experience, including the value of humour, was developed by an interdisciplinary team of health care providers (HCPS) working within the Radiation Medicine program. This anonymous, voluntary, paper-based survey for self-completion required approximately 10 minutes to finish and was administered during the fall of 2018 and the spring of 2019. Results: For the 199 patients who completed the survey [108 women, 89 men (2 respondents did not specify)], median age was 68 years. That group represents approximately 30%–35% of the patients on treatment during the study period. Almost all respondents (86%) indicated that, during their visits to the cancer centre, it was “somewhat important” or “very important” for health care providers (HCPS) to use appropriate humour, and 61% of respondents indicated using humour “frequently” or “always” when dealing with their individual cancers. Most respondents (79%) said that humour decreased anxiety, and 86% indicated that laughing was considered “somewhat important” or “very important.” Approximately 4% of respondents even listed “sense of humour” as being the most important quality that they looked for in their interactions with their HCPS. Conclusions: Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy clearly view humour as being important for coping and dealing with their disease, and oncology HCPS should routinely consider incorporating the use of appropriate humour into the care that they provide.

“It’s Hard, but We Could Kind of Laugh About It”: Exploring the Role of Humor in Brain Cancer Caregiving

“…(b) what is the role of humor in brain cancer caregiving? Given the paucity of research exploring caregiver strengths, it is hoped that the findings will reinforce recent calls in the wider oncology literature for those invested in cancer care to “wake-up” to the importance of humor and laughter (Samant et al, 2020, p. 353).…”

Patient-to-Patient Interactions During the Pain Management Programme: The Role of Humor and Venting in Building a Socially Supportive Community

“…The results of this study showed how fundamental the use of humor is in interpersonal interactions, even within a pain management setting. The deliberate application of humor to difficult situations has been demonstrated in other chronic illness populations; after radiotherapy, humor enabled people with cancer to cope better with their health ( 38 ). Similarly, quantitative assessment of humor use within pain, has suggested that PLwCP may employ humor to gain perspective on their pain and distance themselves from their situation by accepting the negative emotions that common when living with chronic pain ( 39 ).…”

“…The prosocial nature of the humor demonstrated in this study was unusual in that it employed mutual sarcasm, with the sarcasm applied not to a person, but to the context under discussion-chronic pain itself. Wider literature suggests that the type of humor is important when addressing health conditions ( 47 , 48 ) for example, mocking and sarcasm are typically viewed negatively ( 38 ). However, in this study, the participants used sarcasm that was received positively and was directed toward pain rather than a person or their behavior.…”

Terapia Do Riso Como Tratamento Complementar Às Inovações Na Terapêutica Dos Pacientes Hospitalizados: Uma Revisão Integrativa

“…Dessa forma, como afirma SAMANT et al (2020), o humor tem sido uma parte da civilização e requer habilidade, uma vez que os indivíduos hospitalizados já estão em uma situação complexa. Nessa perspectiva, a experiência da doença pode causar sentimentos e sensações de impotência e tristeza nos pacientes, interferindo diretamente nas emoções e no bem-estar de cada indivíduo.…”

“…Tanto no estudo feito porKURUDIREK et al (2020), que selecionou 74 crianças, 36 no grupo controle e 38 no grupo com exposição ao palhaço no ambulatório, quanto no estudo deSAMANT et al (2020), no qual observaram pacientes com câncer submetidos a radioterapia por meio de um questionário com 35 itens acerca da experiência, foi constatado o favorecimento da diminuição da ansiedade, alívio do estresse e melhora da comunicação. Entretanto, o humor deve ser individualizado e personalizado de acordo com o paciente e as circunstâncias.…”