がんサロンにおけるボランティアのピアサポーターとしての体験のプロセス

The Process of Change Experienced by Volunteer Peer Supporters in Salons for Cancer Patients or Their Families

要旨

　近年，がん患者・家族の支援の場としてがんサロンが設けられてきている．今回，サロンにボランティアとして1年以上参加しているがん患者・家族に対し，ピアサポーターとしての体験の，変化のプロセスを明らかにすることを目的とした．サロンに1年以上参加したボランティア7名に半構造化面接を行い，サロンの体験に関連して語られた思いを抽出した．分析は質的帰納的方法で行った．結果，ボランティアの体験のプロセスは【自分のがん体験】，【自分への癒し】，【ピアサポーターとしての役割意識】で構成された．ボランティアは，【ピアサポーターとしての役割意識】により，立場の違いや対応への緊張感など，《対応の困難感》を感じた．一方で，【自分のがん体験】が根底にあり，サロンで共感し合えることで《自分の気持ちの安定》が得られた．そのことが《他者の受容》につながり，訪問者が聴くだけでも気持ちが落ち着く体験から，《傾聴を意識》するようになった．《対応の困難感》は，《傾聴を意識》し，自分たちのできる限界を《割り切る》，同じがん体験者として共感し合えることで，どんな訪問者にも対応できるという《対応への自信》に変化した．さらに，訪問者・リピーターが増加し，《サロンは役割を果たしている》と実感できるようになった．このプロセスにより，ボランティアは自分への自信を得てピアサポーターとしての成長を自覚し，《自己の存在意味の維持・強化》という【自分への癒し】となった．しかし，現状への葛藤から，《進歩への模索》が繰り返された．医療者は，ボランティアと《進歩への模索》を繰り返しながら，パートナーとして存在し続けることが，サロン発展の原動力になると考えられる．

Abstract

　Recently, "cancer salons" have been established in Japan where cancer patients or their families can seek support. The purpose of this study was to examine the process of change experienced by cancer patients or their families who volunteered to participate as peer supporters in one such salon for a year or more．Data were collected using semi-structured interviews of seven volunteers and analyzed qualitatively.

　The results showed that the experiences of volunteers can be divided into three main categories: anxiety about the work and role as a counselor, mental distress and experiences with cancer, and spiritual healing.

　The volunteers faced difficulty in attending to visitors because of anxiety about their work and role as a counselor and their position, stress in interacting with others, etc. The volunteers were distressed because of their own experiences with cancer. At the salon, they got the opportunity to feel calmed by interacting with others. This led them to comfortably interact with the visitors and listen to their experiences, because they knew from experience that the visitors could feel comforted by being heard. Hence, they listened to the visitors' experiences and kept a practical outlook that they couldn't do everything to help them, which made them confident that they could comfort any visitor. Moreover, the number of visitors and repeat visitors increased, which proved that the salon met its aim. Through this process, the volunteers gained confidence as peer supporters and felt a sense of self-respect, which led to spiritual healing. However, the present conditions presented challenges, so they continued to explore ways to progress. In order to develop the salon, it appears necessary that medical workers continue to explore ways to progress with the volunteers and to exist as a partner.