Parents’ Experiences of What Comforts Them When Their Child is Suffering From Cancer

Ångström-Brännström, Charlotte; Norberg, Astrid; Strandberg, Gunilla; Söderberg, Anna; Dahlqvist, Vera

doi:10.1177/1043454210364623

Cited by 44 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…Apart from this, leaving the sick child at the hospital to return to the rest of the family did not come across as an option for the mothers. This concurs with the findings of Ångström-Brännström et al 21 who found that parents gained comfort when they were physically and emotionally close to the sick child.…”

Section: Impact On Mothers Occupational Rolessupporting

confidence: 79%

Having a child with cancer: African mothers' perspective

Naidoo

Gurayah

Kharva³

et al. 2016

S. Afr. j. occup. ther

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Section: Impact On Mothers Occupational Rolessupporting

confidence: 79%

Having a child with cancer: African mothers' perspective

Naidoo

Gurayah

Kharva³

et al. 2016

S. Afr. j. occup. ther

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“…Nurses, who developed a close relationship with parents and turned their attention to the whole family, comforted parents. Parents were also relieved through practical help, kindness and thoughtfulness from their social network (14). Parents of children treated for cancer spoke about the comfort they received from other families and caregivers on the ward (15).…”

Section: Comfort For Comforters In Pediatric Palliative Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2005-2006 a study about the comforting of children undergoing cancer treatment was carried out at a pediatric oncology ward in northern Sweden (14). A 9 year old boy relapsed and CÅB met regularly with him and his family and made field notes at the hospital (22).…”

Section: Procedures and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Descriptions of Comfort in the Social Networks Surrounding a Dying Child

Ångström-Brännström¹,

Dahlqvist²,

Strandberg³

2014

Nordic Journal of Nursing Research

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Descriptions of comfort in the social networks surrounding a dying child. Vård i Norden, 34(113): 4-8Access to the published version may require subscription. N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. Permanent link to this version:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-98492 BackgroundThe death of a child is considered to be one of the greatest losses a parent can sustain and an extremely stressful experience for nurses. Comfort is needed throughout life, especially when one is suffering. Morse (1) describes comfort as an integral part of nursing, while other researchers use the term consolation. Norberg, Bergsten & Lundman (2) described consolation as occurring when openness, presence and availability create trust. In a trusting relationship suffering can be revealed and shared in a reciprocal presence, i.e. in communion and experience of meaning can emerge. The concepts comfort and consolation are partly overlapping and sometimes used interchangeably (3). As the concept comfort can mean different things (4), it is important to understand the concrete needs for comfort of the individual person who is suffering.Those who suffer can use self-comforting or self soothing strategies, such as taking time for oneself, and focusing on immediate needs (5, 6). According to Horton (7) the need to self-comfort is life-long. Comfort for comforters in pediatric palliative careThe World Health Organization (8) describes palliative care for children as the active total care of the child's body, mind and spirit, and also involves giving support to the child's family. Children living with and dying from a life-threatening disease and their families suffer. As a child's disease and death often affect many persons, the child and his/her parents, siblings and the extended family need comfort (9). Family members often play a vital role in palliative care, both at home and in hospital, and their suffering can be a multidimensional experience of pain, sorrow, fear and vulnerability (10). Illness and death impact on how relationships are maintained within and outside a family (11,12).The death of a child is a tragic event for all involved, especially parents (12). In pediatric palliative care the focus is on providing palliation and comfort for the child and the child's family (9). Studies show that parents of children with life-threatening diseases valued continuity in the care of their child, a nurse who was there from beginning to end, showing compassion and performing small acts of kindness (11, 13). Nurses, who developed a close relationship with parents and turned their attention to the whole family, comforted parents. Parents were also relieved through practical help, kindness and thoughtfulness from their social network (14). Parents of children treated for cancer spoke about the comfort they received from other families and caregivers on the ward (15). The willingness of others to listen and be present can be comforting. The sense of being connected with others can give hope, and is in itself a ...

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“…7,9 Parents of children with cancer cared for at home and in hospitals emphasized that they could relieve distress for their children by being present during treatment. 10,11 Parents are described as bridges between nurses and children, and nurses can empower parents to help them comfort their children. 10,11 As far as we know, comfort has not been studied simultaneously from the perspective of a child and the child's parent and nurse.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10,11 Parents are described as bridges between nurses and children, and nurses can empower parents to help them comfort their children. 10,11 As far as we know, comfort has not been studied simultaneously from the perspective of a child and the child's parent and nurse. The aim of this study was to describe a child's experiences while being treated for cancer until death as narrated by the child and his mother and nurse, with the focus on discomfort and comfort while all being observed by a researcher.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%