An Exploration into Parental Experience of Childhood Cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Exploration into the Parents’ Experiences of their Child being Diagnosed with Cancer
IRAS ID
222410
Contact name
Rohit Dhillon
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 25 days
Research summary
The aim of the study is to gain an understanding of the parents' experiences of their child being diagnosed with cancer.
Parents’ own experiences of caring for a child with cancer are now being considered as they play a fundamental role in the child’s support structure. It is also important to understand what impact the illness has on the family and find ways to support the demands of the illness.
Current research has examined parental experiences from a symptom-focused perspective, where it has been shown that parents to a child with cancer have an increased risk of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress in comparison to parents of healthy children. Parents can face a great deal of psychological, social, interpersonal and medical challenges that can debilitate ones’ quality of life. However, little research has concentrated on exploring the parents’ experience and their understanding of the phenomenon. A qualitative study (e.g. using interviews) can be useful to inform clinical practice because it can gain a richer and more diverse account of the parents' subjective experiences. The findings will hopefully work towards developing a coherent body of knowledge to inform and guide support for parents who play a critical role in the care of their children.
Participants’ who wish to take part will be invited to a one-off interview that will last approximately 45 minutes to an hour to discuss the topic. The interview will not be formal, and all personal information will be anonymous and confidential at all times during the research. The interviews will help gain rich and an in-depth account of the parents lived experiences. All participants recruited will be those who attend Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Macmillan Cancer department.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0877
Date of REC Opinion
5 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion