England Article Explored Impact of Caring for Children with Brain Tumors on Mothers
— Categories: Ependymoma Research Articles Posted on September 13, 2013
The diagnosis of a brain tumors, including ependymoma, in children can impact not only the child but the entire family. This study is a qualitative study.
Qualitative studies use interviews to explore the experience in a small number of people dealing with an issue to more deeply explore the issue and identify themes that may define the experience. This study explores the impact of having a child with a brain tumor on the family and describes the mother’s experience of coping with the illness. This study reports that coping and provision of help were major preoccupations of the mothers. Those who report high impact of the disease also report less ‘hindrance and heartache’-which may indicate that dealing with the disease leads to cohesion in the family. Overall mothers report considerable negative impact & report struggling to cope. They report provision of help from the family and outside the family is helpful and needed.