Financial toxicity of childhood cancer and changes to parents’ employment after treatment completion

Kelada, Lauren; Wakefield, Claire E.; Vetsch, Janine; Schofield, Deborah; Sansom-Daly, Ursula M; Hetherington, Kate; O’Brien, Tracey; Cohn, Richard J.; Anazodo, Antoinette; Viney, Rosalie; Zeppel, Melanie

doi:10.1002/pbc.28345

Cited by 45 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For example, parents expressed a will to work 'where it mattered', for example within childcare and healthcare. Similar findings of wanting to make a difference in their work life have also been found among mothers and fathers of children with cancer in Australia (Kelada et al, 2020). In the Australian study, this was reported among parents with the highest socioeconomic status (Kelada et al, 2020), a pattern that was not evident in this study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…In addition to struggling to find a sustainable balance between different roles, the parents in this study also expressed that the child's illness had changed their view of the importance of their life roles, with the parent role making up for a larger proportion of what they perceived to be important in how they spent their time. They described how the experience of having a seriously ill child has made them better parents, and emphasized a will to be present with their children to a larger extent than before, which mirrors previous research (Kelada et al, 2020;Lindahl Norberg & Steneby, 2009;Long & Marsland, 2011;Peikert et al, 2020;Tan et al, 2020). A rather unexpected finding was that parents reported not only having changed their priorities in relation to the balance between the parent role and the work role, but also that the experience of caring for a seriously ill child had led some parents to re-evaluate what their work life should consist of.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Low socioeconomic status is often mentioned as a predictor of severe socioeconomic consequences among parents of children with cancer (Kelada et al, 2020;Roser et al, 2019;Santacroce et al, 2018). Indeed, struggling financially before the child's diagnosis was discussed as an aggravating circumstance in the focus groups in this study as well, which forced parents to work even when they would have preferred to be with their child.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A Balancing Act: Working and Caring for a Child with Cancer

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Parenting a child with cancer creates numerous additional care demands that may lead to increased difficulties in balancing work and family responsibilities. Still, there is limited knowledge of how parents cope with both parenthood and paid work after a child’s cancer diagnosis. The aim of the study was to explore mothers’ and fathers’ experiences of balancing the dual roles of work and parenthood following a child’s cancer diagnosis. Nine focus groups with in total 32 parents of children with cancer in Sweden were conducted. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three categories were identified: Shifts in the importance of the parent role and the work role, Influence of context and conditions on the balance of roles, and Long-term unbalance of roles. Parents expressed an increased appreciation of time spent with family, but also emphasized the importance of work to counterbalance the sometimes overwhelming parenting demands. The pre-existing financial situation, work situation, and employer behaviour were important factors influencing the parents’ ability to balance work and family. Traditional gender roles influenced how couples divided responsibilities and reflected on their experiences. Mothers and fathers were also met with different expectations, which highlights the need for the healthcare to consider their communication with caregivers. Importantly, the parents expressed how the child’s illness affected their ability to balance work and family for a long time, while the understanding and support from others had steadily declined. Enabling parents to care for their ill child without sacrificing their own career is of utmost importance, and future research should focus on identifying which factors facilitate for parents to achieve a sustainable work-life balance.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Balancing Act: Working and Caring for a Child with Cancer

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Employer behavior and workplace characteristics affected parents’ ability to return to work, and could serve as either facilitators or barriers. As previously shown, 20,21 flexibility of the workplace was a key factor for work participation. This suggests that employers could preferably allow as much flexibility as possible, something that the distance work imposed at most Swedish workplaces during the coronavirus pandemic has shown to be possible in more workplaces than what has previously been considered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Facilitators and barriers to return to work and meet financial needs in parents of children with cancer

Hjelmstedt

Forinder

Montgomery

et al. 2021

Pediatric Blood & Cancer

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The aim of this study was to explore what facilitators and barriers parents of children with cancer identify for their ability to return to work and meet financial needs. Procedure Nine focus groups (21 mothers; 11 fathers) were performed across Sweden in 2015 and 2019. A deductive content analysis approach was used. A preconstructed matrix consisting of 12 codes based on previous literature was used to organize the data. The codes were grouped into subcategories, which were abstracted to four generic categories. Results Facilitators for a return to work were covered in the category “Flexibility and understanding from employers and social services,” and barriers in the category “Pressure to return without consideration of the consequences.” Facilitators to meeting financial needs were covered in the category “Available public, private, and employer support,” and barriers in the category “Lack of organized and efficient support from employers and social services.” Conclusions The identified barriers suggest that there is room for improvement in the provision of psychosocial support, which relates to a perceived lack of organized support regarding practical, financial, and occupational matters. The results show a need for a coordinated support system that includes major stakeholders, such as the health care, welfare agencies, and employers. Moreover, employers should consider how to implement more workplace flexibility and involvement of occupational health services. Importantly, to be able to return to work and achieve a sustainable financial situation, it is necessary for all stakeholders to recognize the long‐term impact of parenting a child with cancer.

show abstract

“…Parents' experiences of cancerrelated financial toxicity should also be discussed as part of standard care, and referral made to professional services and community organisations that are able to provide assistance. 10…”

Section: Implications For General Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%