Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-r6qrq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T22:26:08.269Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The experience of adolescents who have a parent with advanced cancer: A phenomenological inquiry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2014

Farya Phillips
Farya Phillips*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Farya Phillips, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto, D3500, Austin, Texas 78712. E-mail: Farya@utexas.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Adolescents are considered the group most susceptible to negative psychosocial outcomes when faced with a parent's illness. However, there has been extremely limited research on the adolescent's adjustment to advanced parental cancer. The aim of our study was to gain understanding of the experiences of adolescents, in their own words, to gather pilot data about the needs of this population that will be valuable in developing interventions for adolescents facing parental cancer.

Method:

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was applied using in-depth semistructured interviews to inquire about adolescents' experiences. Some 10 adolescents (7 males, 3 females) aged 14–17 were interviewed.

Results:

Four essential themes about adolescents living with a parent's advanced cancer emerged from the analysis: “life interrupted,” “being there,” “managing emotions,” and “positives prevail.” These findings underscore the significant impact an advanced cancer diagnosis can have on a family unit and suggest that the experience may also have the potential of creating opportunities for growth and well-being. Our findings reinforce previous results that advocate for the importance of family and peer support, positive attitude, and open communication when a family is coping with advanced parental cancer.

Significance of results:

Understanding how adolescents gain strength from their relationships with family and peers offers healthcare professionals an opportunity to have services and strategies in place to foster these relationships.

Keywords

Adolescents/youthsAdvanced cancerPsychosocial aspects
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , August 2015 , pp. 1057 - 1069
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Armour, M., Rivaux, S.L. & Bell, H. (2009). Using context to build rigor. Qualitative Social Work, 8(1), 101–122.Google Scholar
Arpawong, T.E., Oland, A. Milam, J.E. (2013). Post-traumatic growth among an ethnically diverse sample of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology. doi: 10.1002/pon.3286. Epub ahead of print.Google Scholar
Christ, G.H., Siegel, K. & Sperber, D. (1994). Impact of parental terminal cancer on adolescents. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 64(4), 604–613.Google Scholar
Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualititive inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches, 2nd ed. Thuosand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Daly, K.J. (2007). Qualitative methods for family studies and human development. Thousand Oaka, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Foley, K.M., Back, A., Coyle, N., & Bruera, E. (2005). When the Focus is on Care: Palliative Care and Cancer. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society.Google Scholar
Fredrickson, B.L., Tugade, M.M., Waugh, C.E., et al. (2003). What good are positive emotions in crisis? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 365–376.Google Scholar
Grabiak, B.R., Bender, C.M. & Puskar, K.R. (2007). The impact of parental cancer on the adolescent: An analysis of the literature. Psycho-Oncology, 16(2), 127–137.Google Scholar
Huizinga, G.A., Visser, A., van der Graaf, W.T.A., et al. (2011). Family-oriented multilevel study on the psychological functioning of adolescent children having a mother with cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 20(7), 730–737.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, V.L. & Lloyd-Williams, M. (2009). How children cope when a parent has advanced cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 18(8), 886–892.Google Scholar
Kissil, K., Niño, A., Jacobs, S., et al. (2010). “It has been a good growing experience for me”: Growth experiences among African-American youth coping with parental cancer. Families, Systems & Health, 28(3), 274–289.Google Scholar
Kuhne, F., Krattenmacher, T., Bergelt, C., et al. (2012). Parental palliative cancer: Psychosocial adjustment and health-related quality of life in adolescents participating in a german family counselling service. BMC Palliative Care, 11(1), 21.Google Scholar
Lewis, F.M. (2007). The impact of breast cancer on adolescent function. Seattle: University of Washington Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, F.M. & Darby, E.L. (2003). Adolescent adjustment and maternal breast cancer: A test of the “faucet hypothesis.” Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 21(4), 81–104.Google Scholar
McCubbin, H.I., Thompson, A.I. & McCubbin, M.A. (1996). Family assessment: Resiliency, coping and adaptation. Inventories for research and practice. Madison: University of Wisconsin Publishers.Google Scholar
Miles, M.B. & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Muriel, A.C. & Rauch, P.K. (2003). Suggestions for patients on how to talk with children about a parent's cancer. The Journal of Supportive Oncology, 1(2), 143–145.Google Scholar
Ohannessian, C. (2007). Parental cancer and its effects on adolescents and their families. [editorial material]. Annals of Oncology, 18(12), 1921–1922.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Padgett, D. (1998). Qualitative methods in social work research: Challenges and rewards. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Phillips, F. (2014). Adolescents living with a parent with advanced cancer: A review of the literature. Psycho-Oncology, doi: 10.1002/pon.3570. Epub ahead of print.Google Scholar
Rainville, F., Dumont, S., Simard, S., et al. (2012). Psychological distress among adolescents living with a parent with advanced cancer. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 30(5), 519–534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rolfe, G. (2006). Validity, trustworthiness and rigour: Quality and the idea of qualitative research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(3), 304–310.Google Scholar
Sheehan, D.K. & Draucker, C.B. (2011). Interaction patterns between parents with advanced cancer and their adolescent children. Psycho-Oncology, 20(10), 1108–1115.Google Scholar
Siegel, K., Mesagno, F.P., Karus, D., et al. (1992). Psychosocial adjustment of children with a terminally ill parent. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(2), 327–333.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siegel, K., Karus, D. & Raveis, V.H. (1996). Adjustment of children facing the death of a parent due to cancer. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(4), 442–450.Google Scholar
Sigal, J.J., Perry, J.C., Robbins, J.M., et al. (2003). Maternal preoccupation and parenting as predictors of emotional and behavioral problems in children of women with breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 21(6), 1155.Google Scholar
Spira, M. & Kenemore, E. (2000). Adolescent daughters of mothers with breast cancer: Impact and implications. Clinical Social Work Journal, 28(2), 183–195.Google Scholar
Thastum, M., Johansen, M.B., Gubba, L., et al. (2008). Coping, social relations, and communication: A qualitative exploratory study of children of parents with cancer. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 13(1), 123–138.Google Scholar
Visser, A., Huizinga, G.A., van der Graaf, W.T.A., et al. (2004). The impact of parental cancer on children and the family: A review of the literature. Cancer Treatment Reviews, 30(8), 683–694.Google Scholar
Weaver, K.E., Rowland, J.H., Alfano, C.M., et al. (2010). Parental cancer and the family. Cancer, 116(18), 4395–4401.Google Scholar
Wong, M.L., Cavanaugh, C.E., MacLeamy, J.B., et al. (2009). Posttraumatic growth and adverse long-term effects of parental cancer in children. Families, Systems & Health, 27(1), 53–63.Google Scholar