Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar;31(3):231-238.
doi: 10.1177/0269216316661686. Epub 2016 Aug 6.

Parenting while living with advanced cancer: A qualitative study

Eliza M Park  1 , Devon K Check  2 , Mi-Kyung Song  3 , Katherine E Reeder-Hayes  4 , Laura C Hanson  5 , Justin M Yopp  1 , Donald L Rosenstein  1   6 , Deborah K Mayer  7
Affiliations

Parenting while living with advanced cancer: A qualitative study

Eliza M Park et al. Palliat Med. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Patients with advanced cancer who have dependent children are an important population with a life-limiting illness and high levels of psychological distress. Few studies have addressed the experience of being a parent with advanced cancer and their potential palliative needs.

Aim: To describe the experience of living with advanced cancer as a parent, including illness experience, parental concerns, and treatment decision making and to explore whether these experiences differ by their functional status.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional, qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis.

Setting and participants: A total of 42 participants with metastatic cancer and with at least one child under the age of 18 years were recruited from a comprehensive cancer center. 25 participants were rated as having high functional status (the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status Scale = 0-1) and 17 with low functional status (ECOG=2-4).

Results: We identified four themes regarding the experience of being a parent with advanced cancer: (1) parental concerns about the impact of their illness and death on their children, (2) "missing out" and losses of parental role and responsibilities, (3) maintaining parental responsibilities despite life-limiting illness, and (4) parental identity influencing decision making about treatment. Parental functional status influenced not only physical responsibilities but also intensified parenting psychological concerns.

Conclusion: Parents with metastatic cancer may have unique palliative care needs as they experience parenting concerns while managing the psychological and physical demands of advanced cancer.

Keywords: Parents; cancer; neoplasm; parenting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests The Author(s) declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Comment in

References

    1. Miniño AM. Death in the United States, 2011. NCHS Data Brief. 2013;115:1–8. - PubMed
    1. Weaver KE, Rowland JH, Alfano CM, McNeel TS. Parental cancer and the family: a population-based estimate of the number of US cancer survivors residing with their minor children. Cancer. 2010;116:4395–401. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Semple CJ, McCance T. Parents’ experience of cancer who have young children: a literature review. Cancer nursing. 2010;33:110–8. - PubMed
    1. Lewis FM, Brandt PA, Cochrane BB, et al. The Enhancing Connections Program: a six-state randomized clinical trial of a cancer parenting program. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology. 2015;83:12–23. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aamotsmo T, Bugge KE. Balance artistry: The healthy parent’s role in the family when the other parent is in the palliative phase of cancer – challenges and coping in parenting young children. Palliative & supportive care. 2013:1–13. - PubMed

Publication types