Holmer, Pauline; Muehlebach, Nadja; Ilic, Anica; Priboi, Cristina; Roser, Katharina; Ansari, Marc; Raguindin, Peter Francis; Tinner, Eva Maria; Baechtold, Rebecca; Diezi, Manuel; Lemmel, Eléna; Schilling, Freimut; Farrag, Ahmed; Scheinemann, Katrin; Michel, Gisela (2024). Exploring grandparents' psychosocial responses to childhood cancer: A qualitative study. Psycho-oncology, 33(2) Wiley-Blackwell 10.1002/pon.6304
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Psycho-Oncology_-_2024_-_Holmer_-_Exploring_grandparents__psychosocial_responses_to_childhood_cancer__A_qualitative_study.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY). Download (587kB) | Preview |
OBJECTIVE
A childhood cancer diagnosis is a traumatic experience for patients and their families. However, little is known about the effect on grandparents. We aimed to investigate the negative psychosocial impact, coping strategies, and positive outcomes of grandparents of childhood cancer patients in Switzerland.
METHODS
We collected data using a semi-structured interview guide and applied qualitative content analysis.
RESULTS
We conducted 20 interviews with 23 grandparents (57% female; mean age = 66.9 years; SD = 6.4; range = 57.0-82.4) of 13 affected children (69% female; mean age = 7.5 years; SD = 6.1; range = 1.0-18.9) between January 2022 and April 2023. The mean time since diagnosis was 1.0 years (SD = 0.5; range = 0.4-1.9). Grandparents were in shock and experienced strong feelings of fear and helplessness. They were particularly afraid of a relapse or late effects. The worst part for most was seeing their grandchild suffer. Many stated that their fear was always present which could lead to tension and sleep problems. To cope with these negative experiences, the grandparents used internal and external strategies, such as accepting the illness or talking to their spouse and friends. Some grandparents also reported positive outcomes, such as getting emotionally closer to family members and appreciating things that had previously been taken for granted.
CONCLUSIONS
Grandparents suffer greatly when their grandchild is diagnosed with cancer. Encouragingly, most grandparents also reported coping strategies and positive outcomes despite the challenges. Promoting coping strategies and providing appropriate resources could reduce the psychological burden of grandparents and strengthen the whole family system.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Endocrinology (DFKE) > Clinic of Paediatric Medicine |
UniBE Contributor: |
Tinner Oehler, Eva Maria Eugenia |
Subjects: |
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 360 Social problems & social services |
ISSN: |
1057-9249 |
Publisher: |
Wiley-Blackwell |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Pubmed Import |
Date Deposited: |
20 Feb 2024 10:44 |
Last Modified: |
20 Feb 2024 10:59 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1002/pon.6304 |
PubMed ID: |
38363038 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Switzerland cancer child family grandparents humans oncology positive psychology psychological adaptation psychological stress |
BORIS DOI: |
10.48350/192977 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/192977 |
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