Chronic Sorrow in Mothers of Children With Cancer

Abstract

Chronic sorrow, a progressive, persistent, and endless feeling of grief, is seen in parents of children with chronic diseases. This study aimed to investigate chronic sorrow in mothers of children with cancer in selected hospitals in Tehran, Iran. It also sought to clarify the relationships between chronic sorrow and some demographic characteristics. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 264 mothers attending 3 pediatric teaching hospitals in Tehran were selected using convenience sampling. The subjects completed a demographic questionnaire and Kendall Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire (Persian version). Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests) statistics in SPSS 16.0. The mean score on the Kendall Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire was 76.39 ± 15.81. Chronic sorrow was likely present or present in 97.7% of the mothers (n = 252). The mean scores on the Disparity, Sadness, and Getting Along subscales were 30.26 ± 104.209, and 33.38 ± 42.777, respectively, and the mean score for coping was 12.75 ± 11.922. The relationships between most demographic characteristics and scores on the Kendall Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire were not significant. Chronic sorrow is a concept experienced by families of children with cancer. The health care provider's knowledge about this concept and its components can facilitate the development of better support and treatment programs and lead to improved quality of life for children and their families.

Keywords: cancer; children; mothers.