2019 Volume 28 Pages 265-273
The purpose of this study was to clarify the thoughts of mothers of children with cancer about how to explain the disease to their children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 mothers of preschool and early school-age children with cancer. Seven categories emerged from the analysis: “I very much want my child to face the disease positively”, “I intend to respect family wishes”, “I want to use expressions that my child can understand”, “I want to prioritize my child’s peace of mind”, “I am conflicted because of my mental confusion”, “I feel dissatisfaction and heavy responsibility with the role of decision making”, “I long for a supportive presence in my unsettled state”. The results suggest that nurses need to support mothers in ways such as the following: provide them with disease information from the time their children go into the hospital, understand that they are in an unsettled state of mind and support their thoughts, and provide them with opportunities where they can talk about the disease with their husbands and doctors.
