Parents' coping experiences when having a child with cancer.

Abstract

The management and treatment of childhood cancer has improved dramatically due to the introduction of multimodal therapy including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. Nevertheless, cancer is still viewed negatively by many and in some cases as the most dreaded diseases. Childhood cancer poses a threat to the family unit, especially the parents. Therefore individual family members are required to develop coping strategies to prevent or reduce the harmful effects of a life-threatening disease. The purpose for this research study was to explore the parents' experience of how they coped when their child was suffering from cancer and the impact it had on their families and lifestyles. Moreover it aimed to provide an insight from the parents' point of view of the stressors this experience creates. It was also vital to know if the parents' needs are being met in order for them to cope effectively. The construct of hermeneutic phenomenology was utilized to guide the methodology of this qualitative research study. Lazarus and Folkman Stress and Coping Theory was applied to enrich and give light to the research study throughout. Data was obtained from both parents of twelve children by means of semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) was the method used to analyse the qualitative data gathered. Findings in this study have shown that the impact of diagnosis was overwhelming for the whole family. Parents sought to adjust to the new situation but in doing so they recognised that their needs had changed and had to find ways to be able to meet them. Furthermore the vast amount of stressors faced after diagnosis and throughout the treatment period challenged their coping abilities. Nevertheless, the majority of parents coped relatively well. Based upon these findings some recommendations were identified.