Beacon in the Storm: An Exploration of the Spirituality and Faith of Parents Whose Children Have Cancer

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the role of spirituality as a coping mechanism in the lives of parents of children with cancer. This exploratory study was conducted using a dominant-less dominant research design with phenomenology as the guiding theoretical orientation. Twelve parents (eight women and four men) were interviewed. Spirituality was described as playing a key role in the coping repertoire of these parents. In particular, spirituality's influence was described in both a religious and secularized manner with both aspects having a positive influence on coping behaviors among these parents. Health care professionals and nurses in particular have a role to play in facilitating access to spiritual resources as well as acknowledging and accepting the spiritual practices of the families they serve.

Functioning of Family System in Pediatric Oncology During Treatment Phase

“…Yet, the outcomes of the study are not consistent with those scientific contributions that have underlined the importance of resorting to pray and religion, as an effective coping strategy very used by parents of children suffering from tumor, especially during the acute stage of illness [33,19]. The data, in fact, show that the mothers involved in the study would seem to rarely resort to such a strategy (transcendental orientation).…”

“…It [2,12], as well as the perception of family support and cohesion [13,14] [15]; -the avoidance, as the negation (within limited time) of the situation or as mental detachment [16]; -the positive aptitude, as the acceptation of the situation and positive reinterpretation of the event leading to optimistic aptitude [7,17,18]; -the orientation toward problem, as the skill of eliminating distractive activity to enhance the management of the situation and develop empowerment to control the situation; -the transcendent orientation as request for help and seeking solace in faith or spirituality, which may convey positive thoughts and self-confidence [19,20]. [9].…”

A Qualitative Approach to Find Nursing Diagnoses for Non-Physical Health Problems in Mothers of Children with Cancer

“…Although by appealing to religion and spirituality and ceremonies and religious rites like vow and repentance, they tried to adopt positively with the disease but in bereavement crises arising from fluctuation of the disease, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness were experienced. Results of other studies also emphasize that the role of spirituality and religious issues highlighted in the parents dealt with their child's cancer (22,38,39). Spirituality acts as a positive factor for compatibility of child and her family with cancer (40).…”

L’adaptation des soins sociosanitaires de première ligne à la diversité religieuse

“…Il est vrai que, comparativement au milieu hospitalier, les professionnels de la première ligne se trouvent moins souvent confrontés à des moments chargés de sens pour les clients et leurs familles et davantage propices à la manifestation de la religion. À ce propos, les recherches sur le sujet montrent que la religion devient pertinente lorsque les patients font face à des problèmes de santé sérieux (Eicklund et al 2007 ;Schneider et Mannel 2006), lorsque les familles doivent prendre des décisions médicales ou lorsqu'un proche est en phase terminale (Cadge et …”