Parents' Protective Strategies in Dealing with Adolescence Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Being diagnosed with cancer is a very unpleasant and unbelievable experience for the family and the patient. The association of this disease with adolescence as the most dangerous developmental stage can be accompanied by an increasing line of psychological and social problems. The aforementioned research was conducted to explain the performance of parents in caring for Adolescence with cancer. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis method. 17 Iranian families with Adolescence diagnosed with cancer from December 2022 to November 2023 were selected as participants based on the inclusion criteria through targeted sampling. Continuous comparative data collection and analysis until reaching data saturation was done through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was done using the qualitative content analysis method proposed by Granheim Velangman. The research report was presented using the Consolidated Criteria for Qualitative Research Reporting (COREQ) checklist. Results: The family's dominant strategy against Adolescence cancer includes 5 main concepts, included: "Parents' conscious approach appropriate to the adolescent when facing a cancer diagnosis," "Disease recognition based on multiple sources," "Using social support resources," "Family self-control methods when facing a cancer diagnosis," and "Limiting social interactions in the family." Conclusions: The findings showed that parents of Adolescence with cancer use protective strategies when facing their child's diagnosis and treatment process. Therefore, nurses can use these protective strategies in developing a care plan while considering the conditions of the parents and the affected adolescent to improve the health of the affected adolescent.