Parents' Experience With Their Child's Cancer Diagnosis: Do Hopefulness, Family Functioning, and Perceptions of Care Matter?

Objectives: This study assessed the experience of parents who have a child diagnosed with cancer and whether parental hope, family functioning, and perceptions of care distinguish those parents who have adapted to the diagnosis versus those who have not adapted. Methods: Fifty parents completed an interview about the diagnosis experience and questionnaires about hopefulness, family functioning, and family-centered care. Results: A majority of parents had come to terms with the diagnosis; however, a subset indicated feeling emotionally disengaged from the experience and having persistent thoughts about why this had happened to them. In addition, parents who were having a difficult time adapting reported lower hopefulness and felt that they received more information about support services from medical providers compared with parents who had come to terms with the diagnosis. Conclusions: By recognizing families who continue to struggle with the diagnosis, nurses may be better equipped to approach families and evaluate their needs, including coping and adaptation. Asking parents about their experience can also lead to more appropriate and timely care and referral and allows nurses to provide care that engenders hopefulness.