Evaluation of happiness index, satisfaction with life and positive and negative affects in patients with cancer

• Grant number: 15/07680-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2015
• End date: June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro Paiva
• Grantee: Paula de Souza Ferreira
• Host Institution: Hospital do Câncer de Barretos. Fundação Pio XII (FP). Barretos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The number of interested researchs to find out what is happiness and how much people are happy have been growing over the years. One of the most consensus statements is that the human being is always in search of happiness, regardless of the way he understands. Certain that happiness is an important icon linked to the Quality of Life of any individual and this can be closely correlated with life satisfaction, as well as the issue of positive and negative affects of healthy people or not, proves the importance of study them. Cancer patients, even though they have distressing symptoms associated with disease progression, also report positive emotional states and an optimistic view about the future, which contributes to a considerable potential for increasing the welfare and happiness of sensations, which are typically measured through self-report. Purpose: To define the percentage of cancer patients treated in Barretos Cancer Hospital who consider themselves happy and compare the percentages of happiness among cancer survivors groups in the adjuvant treatment and incurable cancer. Rationale: Whereas happiness implies the subjective well-being, influencing positively the quality of life of individuals, we chose to highlight what brings happiness to people. The happiness, the way this study aims to assess, has not been evaluated in Brazilian patients with cancer. This study is justified by the lack of relevant information related to this important construct of quality of life, the feeling of happiness. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Patients will be recruited in the Barretos Cancer Hospital and respond to data collection instruments of the research voluntarily. Three questionnaires will be answered, containing in total 36 questions about well-being, happiness, life satisfaction and positive and negative affect, and one with 31 questions on demographic data and clinical partner and potentially associated to your happiness. Expected results: Identification of conditions associated with a higher perception of happiness may provide support for national policies aimed at encouraging positive affect and negative affect repair improving the living conditions of the population. What should be encouraged (or discouraged), within the context of individual happiness, is not yet known, especially in our reality. As the Barretos Cancer Hospital serves a large number of cancer patients from all over Brazil (are at least 4,000 daily visits, the 27 states of Brazil) and has in his work philosophy focusing on humanization of care, the results the present study may be useful in the future. Furthermore, the identification of factors associated with greater happiness in cancer patients can direct efforts to promote measures to increase the chance to make it happier, even living in a disease environment.