L i t e r a t u r e r e v i e w o f c a n c e r p a t i e n t s ’ o w n c o n c e r n s a b o u t t h e i r p a r e n t s

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the concerns that cancer patients have about their parents through a literature review. We conducted a search on the Ichushi Web using the following keywords: “cancer,” “cancer patients,” “concerns,” “thoughts,” “thoughts about family,” “distress,” “burden,” and “parents.” Cancer patients’ concerns about their parents were abstracted into categories and subcategories using content analysis techniques. We analyzed 16 articles. Sixty codes, nineteen subcategories, and five categories were identified for concerns of cancer patients about their parents. The five categories included: “concerns about imposing the burden of providing physical and mental support on parents,” “distress about imposing extra burden on parents,” “worries about parents’ care and health,” “burden of having to tell parents about the disease,” “regret about not being able to fulfill the role of a child.” This study’s novelty lies in the exploration of cancer patients’ feelings towards their parents; (1) feelings of wanting to depend on their parents like a child by “venting their emotions to their parents” despite knowing that it can add “the burden on their parents of providing physical and mental support” and (2) having contradicting feelings of wanting to support their parents versus needing support from their parents, as expressed by their “distress to avoid imposing extra burdens on parents.” It is necessary important for nurses to need to collaborate with other professionals to support patients in utilizing the social resources they seek.