The expression of ultimate life goals in co-creative art processes with palliative cancer patients

Abstract

Background: Co-creation, characterized by artists and patients creating a joint work of art, may support patients with the integration of disruptive life events into their life story, such as living with cancer. Focusing on experiences of contingency and life goals could support this process. The research questions are: (1) 'how are patient's ultimate life goals and experiences of contingency expressed in the work of art as created in a process of co-creation?'; (2) 'how do the four phases of integration of experiences of contingency unfold during co-creation?'

Methods: Ten patients who were in a palliative stage of cancer treatment completed co-creation processes. Audio recordings of these co-creation processes were imported in Atlas-Ti and analysed by applying directed content analysis. We searched for life goals and experiences of contingency in the four phases of co-creation; Art communications, Element compilation, Consolidation, Reflection.

Results: Patients used 4-8 sessions (median 5 sessions) with a duration of 90-240 min each (median duration 120 min). All patients expressed their experience of contingency and their ultimate life goals within the four phases of co-creation and in their work of art. A case description is presented illustrating the co-creation process.

Conclusions: During co-creation, patients move through four phases in which experiences of contingency and ultimate life goals can be made explicit through art making and can be expressed in the work of art, supporting integration of experiences of contingency into one's life narrative.

Keywords: Advanced cancer patients; Art; Co-creation; Experiences of contingency; Integration of experiences of contingency; Life narratives; Quality of life; Ultimate life goals.