Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
International Journal of Caring Sciences, cilt.13, sa.1, ss.448-456, 2020 (Scopus)
Abstract
Background: One of the most challenging aspects of being parents of a child diagnosed with cancer is to
balance their normal family life with the child's health needs and treatment requirements. Cancer covers an
important part of family life and gets ahead of other matters. Families mostly feel that everything has changed in
their lives with the cancer diagnosis and are obliged to make a number of adjustments in their lives. Their
normal family life suddenly begins to include treatments, hospital appointments and hospitalizations.
Objective: This study was conducted as a descriptive study to evaluate the changes that the parents of children
with cancer experienced in this process.
Method: The study was carried out with 65 families of children aged 0-17 with cancer in a pediatric oncology
clinic and outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Trabzon. The data were collected between August and
November 2015 using a survey. Numbers, percentages and chi-square test were used in the evaluation of the
data.
Findings: The mean age of the mothers was 35.33 ± 6.31 years, the majority of them had an education level
below high school (60.0%) and they were housewives (89.2%). The mean age of the fathers was 39.30 ± 6.29
years (50.8) and they were self-employed (43.8%). It was determined that the majority of the children were
male, their mean age was 7.74 ± 4.00 years and 90.8% of them had leukemia diagnosis. The mothers stated that
their fears increased (87.5%), their workload at home increased (84.4%), they had more stressful lives (82.8%)
and they felt physically tired (82.8%). They also indicated that their healthy children could not do the activities
they used to do (56.5%), they did not feed their healthy children with their favorite food so that their sick
children would not desire (52.3%) and their healthy children became more nervous (53.2%). As for the fathers,
they reported that their work load at home increased (82.3%), they had more stressful lives (80.6%), and they
could not find time for their hobbies and interests (77.8%). After the diagnosis, a statistical significance was
found between age, educational status of the parents and changes occurred in their lives (p <0.05). The study
demonstrated that almost all of the mothers paid more attention to the order at home, laundry cleaning,
food/drinks and bathing.
Conclusion: The study suggested that the parents of children with cancer had increased workload at home, more
stressful lives, no time for social activities, increased fear, self-tiredness, the social activities of their healthy
children decreased and they became more nervous.
Key words: Parent, cancer, child, oncology