2020 Volume 57 Issue 2 Pages 150-156
The purpose of this study was to understand the difficulties faced by children who have recovered from cancer and their psychosocial support during their growth and development after school re-entry. The subjects were 14 child cancer survivors aged 18 to 26 years, who had completed their treatment three or more years before. A qualitative descriptive analysis was conducted on the basis of the results of semistructured interviews. From 37 subcategories of 94 codes, 15 categories including 6 major categories of difficulties were extracted. Factors of difficulty were associated with school life and work. It was found that childhood cancer survivors had difficulties in school life, such as “absenteeism from classroom because of decreased physical fitness after chemotherapy.” As for difficulties in relationships and communication with friends, they felt “frustrated from being incapable of interacting in a group owing to decreased physical fitness or on-going treatment,” and faced confusion and conflict about changes observed in oneself after admission to school, such as “an awareness of identity differences before and after returning to school, and lowered motivation.” Furthermore, they suffered from study delays and a disadvantage in further education owing to hospitalization and outpatient therapy. Physiological and psychological late effects of cancer affected their career and postemployment. These findings suggest that the construction of a system in which teachers and care providers discuss psychosocial problems and provide continuous support is important for childhood cancer survivors to redefine their self-concept and establish their new roles throughout their school life.
