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The experience of adolescents who have a parent with advanced cancer: A phenomenological inquiry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2014

Farya Phillips
Farya Phillips*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Farya Phillips, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto, D3500, Austin, Texas 78712. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

Adolescents are considered the group most susceptible to negative psychosocial outcomes when faced with a parent's illness. However, there has been extremely limited research on the adolescent's adjustment to advanced parental cancer. The aim of our study was to gain understanding of the experiences of adolescents, in their own words, to gather pilot data about the needs of this population that will be valuable in developing interventions for adolescents facing parental cancer.

Method:

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was applied using in-depth semistructured interviews to inquire about adolescents' experiences. Some 10 adolescents (7 males, 3 females) aged 14–17 were interviewed.

Results:

Four essential themes about adolescents living with a parent's advanced cancer emerged from the analysis: “life interrupted,” “being there,” “managing emotions,” and “positives prevail.” These findings underscore the significant impact an advanced cancer diagnosis can have on a family unit and suggest that the experience may also have the potential of creating opportunities for growth and well-being. Our findings reinforce previous results that advocate for the importance of family and peer support, positive attitude, and open communication when a family is coping with advanced parental cancer.

Significance of results:

Understanding how adolescents gain strength from their relationships with family and peers offers healthcare professionals an opportunity to have services and strategies in place to foster these relationships.

Keywords

Adolescents/youthsAdvanced cancerPsychosocial aspects
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , August 2015 , pp. 1057 - 1069
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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