Family interactions in childhood leukemia: an exploratory descriptive study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A child's cancer not only affects the child in question, but also their family members and even closes relatives and friends. The nature of this disease is such that, while imposing a high level of care workload on the family, it also affects various family aspects including personal, familial, and social interactions and relationships, as well as family functioning. This study aims to describe family interactions in childhood leukemia. METHODS: This study was an exploratory descriptive study, conducted on 58 participants (40 family members and 18 members of the health team), with purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews-63 personal interviews and four group interviews-in the research context of the Cancer Hospital in Isfahan, 2016-2017. Data analysis in this study was carried out with qualitative content analysis using the Graneheim method. RESULTS: In the data analysis, four main categories and 13 subcategories were revealed. The first category, changes in roles, included the subcategories of super caregiver mother, supportive super father, role shift, self and others' forgetfulness, and confusion in roles and tasks; the second category, changes in interpersonal relationships, included the subcategories of changes in spousal relationships, changes in parent-child relationships, and changes in relationships between children; the third category, changes in social interactions, included the subcategories of changes in relationships with relatives, changes in relationships with peers, changes in relationships with the therapy team, and changes in interaction with supportive social networks; and the fourth category, changes in relationship with God, included the subcategories of spiritual bond and spiritual illness. CONCLUSION: Regarding the findings of this study, it is expected that health system policymakers in the country, while striving to strengthen the positive aspect of changes in family relationships and interactions, will develop and execute operational, comprehensive, and society-based plans in order to eliminate the barriers and problems of relationships within the family, as well as in relation to the larger community, taking into consideration the family's cultural and social beliefs.