Objectives To explore how children of mothers newly diagnosed with breast cancer perceive their mother's illness and its initial treatment; to contrast their accounts with the mothers' perceptions of their children's knowledge. Design Qualitative interview study with thematic analysis. Setting Home based interviews with mothers and children in Oxfordshire, England. Participants 37 mothers with early breast cancer and 31 of their children aged between 6 and 18 years.
After an earlier study into the practical aspects of the management of perinatal death, a counselling service was introduced for parents whose baby had died in the perinatal period. The service was monitored, and the parents who received the service were compared with a group that did not. Fifty families were allocated randomly either to the counselling (supported) group or to the contrast group, who received routine hospital care.
This study suggests that clinicians could improve their care of breast cancer patients by being more family-centred. Fathers routinely need more information and preparation about the likely impact of the illness and its treatment (especially side effects) on the mother, and how children of different ages may react to the emotional strain. Clinicians need to be prepared to offer to talk to teenagers.
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