Children’s experiences of living with maternal breast cancer: A qualitative study

Aims To investigate the experiences of Taiwanese school‐aged children coping with maternal breast cancer. Design A qualitative interview study. Methods A cohort of 10 boys and 12 girls aged 6 to 13 years (mean age, 9.86 years) whose mothers were diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 2 years were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of advanced nursing 2021-08, Vol.77 (8), p.3446-3457
Main Authors: Chin, Jui‐Chih, Lin, Miao‐Hui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aspiration
Breast cancer
child behaviour
child lived experiences
Children
Content analysis
Coping
cultural issues
Cultural values
Families & family life
family communication
family resilience
Health care
Intervention
Interviews
Medical personnel
Mothers
Nursing
parental cancer
qualitative approaches
Qualitative research
school‐aged children
socio‐cultural context
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Summary:Aims To investigate the experiences of Taiwanese school‐aged children coping with maternal breast cancer. Design A qualitative interview study. Methods A cohort of 10 boys and 12 girls aged 6 to 13 years (mean age, 9.86 years) whose mothers were diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 2 years were recruited from patient networks in Taiwan. Data were collected from February to June 2019 via semi‐structured individual interviews. Their responses were subjected to content analysis. Results Content analysis yielded six themes: (1) reluctance to share feelings with others; (2) recognizing changes in the tone of family life; (3) casting the cause of breast cancer onto oneself; (4) engaging in active coping; (5) maturing and gaining life lessons; and (6) family communication matters. Conclusion The findings shed light on how family processes and cultural beliefs shape children's experiences. School‐aged children came to terms with the significance of maternal breast cancer from a broad context of family experiences over time, and thus gained insights into their self‐expectations and future aspirations. Impact Healthcare professionals can help school‐aged children develop a rational view of breast cancer pathogenesis. In addition, we suggest nursing interventions to support a family‐oriented approach to coping. Such interventions should address changes in family processes to improve coping abilities of children and the entire family.
ISSN:0309-2402
1365-2648
DOI:10.1111/jan.14866