Surendran, Rajaratnam
(2013)
Parental Challenges In Caregiving For Children With
Cancer.
Masters thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Abstract
The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the experience faced by the
caregivers of children with cancer in terms of challenges that the illness brings along
and their employed coping strategies. The study was conducted on eight respondents
who are primary informal caregivers being purposively selected from Penang
Hospital. The selection was based on two criteria, namely a) functional level of the
patient and b) ethnic background of the family. The scope of the study includes: a)
challenges faced by the caregivers, b) social support received by the caregivers, and c)
their coping strategies. Study findings revealed that the caregivers faced similar
challenges as those from the literature. However, there are dissimilar opinions from
the respondents which were discussed in this study. Among others, the challenges
faced by caregivers were not limited to financial, but also involve medical caregiving
for their ill child; emotional caregiving for their ill child; and caregiving for the
siblings of the ill child. Respondents’ perception towards social support that they
received and their coping strategies were also explored to better understand the
emotional journey throughout their caregiving trajectory. Findings from this study
also points out that adequate social support are vital for the caregivers. Thus, medical
social workers have the prospect to reduce the respondents’ negative emotions
through relevant interventions.
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