Fathers of Children With Cancer: Qualitative Insights and Nursing Implications.
This single-center descriptive qualitative study used interviews with 12 Turkish fathers of children receiving cancer treatment to identify themes concerning treatment experiences, life changes, coping, and support needs, with implications for more inclusive nursing care.
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This single-center descriptive qualitative study used interviews with 12 Turkish fathers of children receiving cancer treatment to identify themes concerning treatment experiences, life changes, coping, and support needs, with implications for more inclusive nursing care.
Research significance
The study provides evidence of paternal experiences and perceived needs; it supports, but does not test, the hypothesis that culturally sensitive, father-focused nursing interventions could improve paternal involvement, coping, and family-centered supportive care during pediatric cancer treatment.
Source abstract
PURPOSE: To describe the experiences of Turkish fathers whose child is undergoing cancer treatment. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were recruited at the pediatric hematology-oncology clinic of a university hospital in western Türkiye. A purposive sampling strategy was used to identify eligible fathers. Fathers whose child was aged 0-18 years and receiving cancer treatment were considered eligible. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: This study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative research design. Semistructured individual interviews with 12 fathers of a child with cancer were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method. FINDINGS: The fathers' (N = 12) mean age was 36.83 years, and the children's mean age was 5.25 years. The following four main themes with interrelated subthemes and categories were identified that reveal the feelings, experiences, and expectations of fathers of children with cancer: diagnosis and treatment process experiences, postdiagnosis life changes, coping, and needs. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Pediatric oncology nurses can develop more inclusive care practices that support paternal involvement by considering the influence of gender roles on fathers' emotional expressions and help-seeking behaviors. Future research should examine fathers' experiences across diverse cultural and clinical settings to inform the development of father-focused interventions.