Objective:to identify, analyze and synthesize the father’s experience in care for a hospitalized child from results of primary qualitative studies. Method:this is a qualitative meta-synthesis through which 12 articles were analyzed, selected in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, Public Medline, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science, published between 1995 and 2015. The methodological steps proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso were used to systematize the review, as well as concepts from the anthropology of masculinities to analyze and discuss the synthesis. Results:the synthesis was presented by means of two themes: 1) paternal dilemmas - what man feels and faces during the hospitalization of the child, highlighting the emotional involvement and change in the family and work relationship, and 2) paternal identities - masculinities readjusted in view of the child’s illness, which reveals identity marks and repressed fatherhood in the hospital environment. Both themes illustrate the challenges and readjustment of parental identity. Final considerations:to get to know the experiences of the father during the hospitalization of the child and the way in which the challenges for the readjustment of roles related to masculinity could broaden the range of nursing and other health professionals, alerting to the importance of including the father as a protagonist or coadjuvant in the care for hospitalized children.

Approval: 03-18-2017 ABSTRACT Objective: To synthesize and interpret fi ndings and conclusions of qualitative research addressing the experience of the father in the care of the child with cancer. Method: Meta-synthesis of 16 qualitative studies from six databases, analyzed through taxonomic analysis. Results: Child and adolescent cancer have several repercussions on the daily life of the father, especially related to the stigma around the disease, the fear of the unknown and the social and family role. Faced with the illness and the need to care for the child, the father seeks to recover normality in the family and transitions between hegemonic masculine behaviors and practices culturally recognized as female. Final Considerations: The complex experience of the father, infl uenced by masculinities, was evidenced. The limitations regard the restricted understanding of the contextual specifi cities of the experiences, due to the limited characteristics of the parents and children described in the studies. The knowledge produced is useful to promote involvement of fathers in the care of the child, as well as to strengthen and assist him in this task. Descriptors: Fathers; Pediatric Nursing; Qualitative Research; Cancer; Family Nursing. RESUMO Objetivo: Sintetizar e interpretar resultados e conclusões de pesquisas qualitativas sobre a experiência do pai no cuidado do fi lho com câncer. Método: Metassíntese de 16 estudos qualitativos capturados em seis bases de dados e analisados por meio da análise taxonômica. Resultados: O câncer infantojuvenil impõe inúmeras repercussões ao cotidiano do pai, sobretudo relacionadas ao estigma da doença, ao medo do desconhecido e ao papel social e familiar. Diante da doença e da necessidade de cuidado do fi lho, o pai busca resgatar a normalidade na família e transita entre comportamentos hegemonicamente masculinizantes e práticas reconhecidas culturalmente como femininas. Considerações fi nais: Evidenciou-se a complexa experiência paterna infl uenciada pelas masculinidades. As limitações referem-se à restrita compreensão das especifi cidades contextuais das experiências, pelas escassas características dos pais e fi lhos descritas nos estudos. O conhecimento produzido revela-se útil para promover o engajamento paterno no cuidado do fi lho, bem como fortalecê-lo e auxiliá-lo nesta tarefa. Descritores: Pai; Enfermagem Pediátrica; Pesquisa Qualitativa; Neoplasia; Enfermagem Familiar. RESUMENObjetivo: Sintetizar e interpretar resultados y conclusiones de investigaciones cualitativas sobre la experiencia del padre en el cuidado del hijo con cáncer. Método: Metasíntesis de 16 estudios cualitativos recogidos en seis bases de datos y examinados mediante análisis taxonómica. Resultados: El cáncer infantojuvenil repercute considerablemente en la vida cotidiana del padre, sobre todo con relación al estigma de la enfermedad, al miedo a lo desconocido y al papel social y familiar. Ante la enfermedad y la necesidad de Care provided by the father to the child with cancer under the infl uence of m...

Aim To synthesize qualitative studies on the experience of hope in families of children and adolescents living with chronic illness. Background Hope is multidimensional, dynamic, and varies according to experienced events, cultural environments and stage of life. The qualitative synthesis of the experience of hope in the paediatric population with chronic conditions is scarce. Design Thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Data sources A systematic literature search in PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science was performed supplemented by manual search strategies. Thirty‐one studies from fifteen countries, published between 1981‐2018, were included. Findings Findings were integrated into an analytical theme “FAMILY HOPE: KEEPING THE DAY‐TO‐DAY BALANCE”, encompassing the following five descriptive themes: Uncertainty; Support; Information; Between “dark thoughts” and positive thoughts; and Hoping to go back to normality. Conclusion This thematic synthesis brings a new dimension of hope among families of children and adolescents living with chronic illness. “Family Hope” highlights the influence of the relationships between relatives and the chronically ill child in the balance of hope. It is recommended that health professionals use a family‐focused approach to support these families. Impact Shifting the focus to a family dimension of hope is a promising pursuit that has the potential to inform future nursing practices to support the experiences of families living with chronic illness in the paediatric context. A better understanding of the role and characteristics of family hope will promote the development of more effective interventions for families to adapt to long‐term paediatric conditions.

Introduction: Spirituality is a multidimensional aspect of human experience. In the context of palliative care, it is an individual resource that can be used to cope with illness and to assign new meanings to suffering. Qualitative studies that aim to investigate the experience of spirituality and the needs of family caregivers in this context are rare.Objective: This meta-synthesis aimed to synthesise qualitative studies on the experience of spirituality in family caregivers of adult and elderly cancer patients receiving palliative care.Methods: A systematic review was performed in six databases, and 14 studies were included in this meta-synthesis. Results:The results are presented as a thematic synthesis divided into two analytical themes: (1) The interweaving of spirituality with end-of-life care and (2) The dimensions of suffering and spirituality in the dying process of the loved one. Each analytical theme is explained by two descriptive themes. The results showed that family caregivers express their spirituality in a multidimensional way, giving meaning to the care provided and reassessing the meanings of their lives and their suffering. Conclusion:Investigating the suffering and spiritual needs of family members in this context may be of value to inform comprehensive and multi-professional psychosocial care.

Talking to children and adolescents with cancer about spirituality is a challenge. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a conversation model for a spiritual approach with children and adolescents with cancer. It was a methodological study with a systematic approach in three stages: (a) review of the literature for the selection of photographs and guiding questions, (b) using an expert committee to evaluate photographs and preselected questions, and (c) cognitive interview with children and adolescents to test the methodology. The expert committee evaluated and selected 20 photos and their respective guiding questions. Fifteen children and adolescents hospitalized with cancer tested the spirituality conversation model and expressed feelings, values, beliefs, fears, and the meaning they give to life and illness. The implementation of the conversation model can contribute both to the clinical practice, facilitating care for the spiritual dimension of pediatric patients, and to qualitative research on spirituality involving children.

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Purpose To compare sleep and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents with cancer who had pain, with those who had no pain during hospitalisation. Method A prospective comparative study was used to collect data from paediatric oncology units in three countries (Portugal, Brazil, USA). Participants (n = 118; 8–18 years) completed the Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Cancer module, which includes a pain subscale, and wore a wrist actigraph for at least 72 hr. Results Almost half of the participants (48.3%) reported having pain. Sleep patterns were not affected by pain. Girls, adolescents and patients diagnosed with leukaemia/lymphoma who reported pain, had significantly lower HRQOL scores. Low sleep duration and HRQOL were found, irrespectively of pain status. Conclusions The low sleep duration and HRQOL score in children and adolescents with cancer highlight the importance of physical and psychosocial nursing interventions during hospitalisation. The mediating effect of gender, age and diagnoses on the relation between pain and HRQOL needs to be further understood.

BackgroundSexual desire is one of the domains of sexual function with multiple dimensions, which commonly affects men and women around the world. Classically, its assessment has been applied through self-report tools; however, an issue is related to the evidence level of these questionnaires and their validity. Therefore, a systematic review addressing the available questionnaires is really relevant, since it will be able to show their psychometric properties and evidence levels.MethodA systematic review was carried out in the PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases. The search strategy was developed according to the following research question and combination of descriptors and keywords, including original studies with no limit of publication date and in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Two reviewers carried out the selection of articles by abstracts and full texts as well as the analysis of the studies independently. The methodological quality of the instruments was evaluated by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist.ResultsThe search resulted in 1203 articles, of which 15 were included in the review. It identified 10 instruments originally developed in the English language. Unsatisfactory results on methodological quality were evidenced in cultural adaptation studies with no description of the steps of the processes and inadequacy of techniques and parameters of adequacy for models. The Principal Component Analysis with Varimax rotation predominated in the studies.ConclusionsThe limitation of the techniques applied in the validation process of the reviewed instruments was evident. A limitation was observed in the number of adaptations conducted and contexts to which the instruments were applied, making it impossible to reach a better understanding of the functioning of instruments. In future studies, the use of robust techniques can ensure the quality of the psychometric properties and the accuracy and stability of instruments. A detailed description of procedures and results in validation studies may facilitate the selection and use of instruments in the academic and/or clinical settings.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42018085706.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12874-018-0570-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.