Having a child with cancer: African mothers' perspective

Treatment of Childhood Cancer in Southern Nigeria: Parents Perspective

“…This study revealed that cancer treatment posed a great financial burden on the parents, with worsening of their economic situation, and constituted a threat to compliance to therapy, which had been previously reported (Renner & McGill, 2016;Saifan et al, 2014;Naidoo et al, 2016;Njuguna et al, 2015;Curco, 2010). Even though fathers were few among the respondents, they were also deeply affected, with the financial burden being their main cause of stress after their child's health status, and were similar to what was found in other series (Saifan et al, 2014;Kohlsdorf & Costa, 2012).…”

“…The diagnosis of cancer in a child is devastating for parents, and difficult for some to come to term with (Renner & McGill, 2016;Njuguna et al, 2015;Buckle et al, 2013). It is possible that the few parents who could not recall the diagnosis of their children who had be undergoing chemotherapy for at least three months, were yet to adjust to the reality of the situation they found themselves in (Naidoo et al, 2016;Maree, Parker, Kaplan, & Oosthuizen, 2015). On the other hand, the lack of clear information to parents from the healthcare providers about their child's illness at the time of the cancer diagnosis has been reported and calls for consistent counselling with caregivers to help them have a clear insight about the disease (Renner & McGill, 2016;Eke, 2019;Naidoo et al, 2016).…”

“…This is however understandable as fathers needed to continue with their employment to maintain income. The supports parents received, monetary and otherwise, became important factors in helping them cope with the exigencies of their child's treatment (Witt et al, 2010;Naidoo et al, 2016).…”

“…And the greatest support came from family members which is a strong force to reckon with in African settings, followed by church members than friends and colleagues (Renner & McGill, 2016;Naidoo et al, 2016). On the other hand, mothers in Jordan and Turkey felt socially isolated as their relationship with other people decreased, because of the child's treatment requirements and burden of care, which were not mentioned among mothers in this study (Elcigil & Conk, 2010;Saifan et al, 2014).…”

“…This burden of care, a reflection of the undesirable events and difficulties brought about by the disease upon the members of the family, is related to the frequent and long treatments and hospitalizations, medical problems of the children, and is most experienced by mothers, who are often the primary caregivers (Elcigil & Conk, 2010;Saifan, Masa'Deh, Hall, & Collier, 2014). These experiences can be overwhelming and affect their quality of life (Elcigil & Conk, 2010;Naidoo et al, 2016;Turkoglu & Kılıc, 2012).…”