Investigating lived experiences of psychological stresses of cancerous children and their families at different stages of the disease

Increasing the prevalence of cancer, especially in children, affects the family’s psychological system. Objective this study was to investigate the lived experiences associated with psychological stresses of cancerous children and their families in different stages of the disease.

A qualitative research approach and descriptive of phenomenological type. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Targeted sampling and interviews continued until data saturation. The number of participants was 33 from 14 families, of which 12 were fathers and 14 were mothers and 7 were siblings. The data analysis was done using a clayey method.

The psychological stresses of cancer children and their families were categorized into 7 categories, including psychological stresses before diagnosis, during diagnosis, ultimate diagnosis, after that, disease progression, child's death, and The psychological stresses of different stages (parents' concerns for healthy siblings, their concern about the effects of the disease on their marriage, the psychological pressures affecting the overall family system, and the psychological pressures on cancerous kid).

By identifying the psychological pressures of cancerous children and their families at different stages of the disease, and acknowledging the parents can reduce the negative effects of these psychological stresses on the affected children and their family system