Facilitators and barriers to return to work and meet financial needs in parents of children with cancer

Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to explore what facilitators and barriers parents of children with cancer identify for their ability to return to work and meet financial needs. Procedure Nine focus groups (21 mothers; 11 fathers) were performed across Sweden in 2015 and 2019. A deductive content analysis approach was used. A preconstructed matrix consisting of 12 codes based on previous literature was used to organize the data. The codes were grouped into subcategories, which were abstracted to four generic categories. Results Facilitators for a return to work were covered in the category “Flexibility and understanding from employers and social services,” and barriers in the category “Pressure to return without consideration of the consequences.” Facilitators to meeting financial needs were covered in the category “Available public, private, and employer support,” and barriers in the category “Lack of organized and efficient support from employers and social services.” Conclusions The identified barriers suggest that there is room for improvement in the provision of psychosocial support, which relates to a perceived lack of organized support regarding practical, financial, and occupational matters. The results show a need for a coordinated support system that includes major stakeholders, such as the health care, welfare agencies, and employers. Moreover, employers should consider how to implement more workplace flexibility and involvement of occupational health services. Importantly, to be able to return to work and achieve a sustainable financial situation, it is necessary for all stakeholders to recognize the long‐term impact of parenting a child with cancer.

Children with a rare congenital genetic disorder: a systematic review of parent experiences

“…Parents described the importance of having a social network and to be able to work outside of home in order to get some normalcy in life. It may therefore be important to encourage parents to continue in their jobs, and for society and employers to facilitate the work situation in an optimal way for parents [ 81 ], as well as encourage the parents to find ways to keep up their social life and contact with family and friends.…”

Factors associated with employment status among mothers of survivors of childhood cancer: a cross-sectional study

“…Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the factors for the employment status of mothers of CCSs based on the variables that were found to be significant in the bivariate analysis. The variables to be input into the model were selected from those found to be significant ( p < 0.1) in the Mann–Whitney, χ 2 , and Fisher’s exact tests and those previously suggested to be related to the employment of mothers of CCSs [ 13 , 14 , 22 ]. We confirmed that the covariate variables had a correlation coefficient and a coefficient of association ≤ 0.2.…”

“…A reduction in income because of long-term interruptions in work increases the risk that the entire family of a CCS could fall into a vulnerable financial situation [ 8 , 11 ]. Qualitative surveys of parents of CCSs have reported barriers that hinder a return to work, such as the child’s health-care needs, anxiety about the child’s health, feelings of guilt about returning to work, work inflexibility, a toxic work environment, and inadequate social and health-care services [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…In addition, mothers often accompany their children on follow-up outpatient visits and provide care such as physical condition management [ 8 ]. They also deal with calls from the school in the event of a sudden deterioration of their CCS’s physical condition [ 13 , 14 ]. Because the risk of late effects increases with the duration of treatment [ 18 , 19 ], mothers continue to be involved in the medical care of their children regardless of how many years have passed [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…Because the risk of late effects increases with the duration of treatment [ 18 , 19 ], mothers continue to be involved in the medical care of their children regardless of how many years have passed [ 20 , 21 ]. Previous studies [ 13 , 14 , 22 ] have indicated that psychological factors such as anxiety about recurrence or practical factors such as care demands for CCSs affect the employment of CCSs’ mothers. Given this background, the present study aimed to identify the factors associated with maternal employment status, explore the employment status of mothers of CCSs in relation to support and both practical and psychological factors, and to clarify whether working mothers differ from nonworking mothers.…”