Psychological Aspects of Cancer

Question: Describe about the Psychological Aspects of Cancer? Answer: Making a decision to end pregnancy when the fetus is detected with severe abnormalities has always been very difficult for the mother as well as other family members. It consists of many complex and difficult aspects to be considered whether to go ahead with abortion or not. However the sole right for termination of the pregnancy lays with parents especially the mother where she should be given all the right to make her choice (Giubilini Minerva, 2012). The present case study shows the dilemma of Marco and her wife Jessica regarding continuing with pregnancy when after diagnosis it is found that the fetus is having severe abnormalities and that there are chances that fetus may develop Down Syndrome. After the diagnosis of fetal abnormality Marco, Dr. Wilson and Aunt Maria all react based upon various theories. Marco follows stress coping theory as he insist Dr. Wilson not to immediately inform Jessica about the result of diagnosis as this can prove traumatic for Jessica and she may not be able to handle this. Jessica and Marco after many hardships settled and planned for beginning of new life hence this kind of shock may lead Jessica to extreme traumatic condition. The social support theory says that family and social surrounding has a major role in mitigating the stress effects of an individual. Jessica and Marco have always been together and been support system for each other in their difficult times therefore Marcos decision not to disclose the diagnosis result immediately by the doctor to Jessica reflects his strong support for her. In order to reduce the traumatic effect he himself wanted to deliver the message to Jessica. According to several researches it has been found t hat poor participation and support of the partners in such cases leads to intensifying of grief finally resulting into long depression. Action of Marco can be explained on the basis of Life span theory according to which development of social support depends upon the type of attachment. Concerns of Marco regarding Jessica indicate his strong bond with Jessica and that they always have been together in good and bad times (Folkman, 2013). Experiences from life and adaptive personality together make life span theory. On the other hand Dr. Wilson wants to deliver the diagnosis result to Jessica as soon as possible so that an immediate decision is taken regarding continuing with the pregnancy. His conduct is according to the bio-medical ethics according to which client should be immediately informed regarding all his/her health status before any intervention is taken for the good health. Dr. Wilson is less inclined towards emotional and social intelligence theory and more towards profess ional ethics (Rollin, 2013). He seems not to follow holistic approach for his clients hence though he adheres to guidelines of biomedical ethics but he needs to follow other interventional strategies such as psychological counseling of the patient. Aunt Maria insist Jessica to carry her pregnancy even after knowing the diagnosis result because according to her this was the decision of God and one should not go against God. Therefore she is not concerned about health of Jessica and future of the couple with child having several abnormalities. References: Folkman,S.(2013).Stress,coping and hope. In Psychological aspects of cancer (pp. 119-127). Springer US. Giubilini, A., Minerva, F. (2012). After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?. Journal of Medical Ethics, medethics-2011.Rollin, B. E. (2013). An introduction to veterinary medical ethics: Theory and cases. John Wiley Sons.