TITLE:
Parents Who Have Lost a Child to Cancer: What Do They Really Need?
AUTHORS:
Cécile Flahault, Etienne Seigneur, Valérie Laurence, Hélène Pacquement, Sébastien Montel
KEYWORDS:
Cancer, Needs, Parents, Adolescents and Young Adults, Bereavement
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.6 No.6,
May
5,
2015
ABSTRACT: In a sample of parents who lost a child to
cancer, we investigated their needs before and after their child’s death and
how these needs were fulfilled. We met parents of AYA (adolescents and young
adults) between 15 and 25 years old, who died in Curie Institute between 2000
and 2003. Twenty-one families agreed to participate in this study between
October 2005 and April 2006. When a family agreed to participate, a
semi-structured interview was held in the psycho-oncology unit of the Curie
Institute. This interview was audiotaped and then retranscribed for analysis.
Data were subjected to the Grounded theory method, a systematic and
standardized method of semantic data analysis. Three prominent themes emerged
from our thematic data analysis: first, the importance of psychological care
during the terminal phase of the child’s disease and after the child’s death,
reported by 95% of parents; second, the need to be listened to and to be
understood by the medical team (97% of parents); third, the need for
information from the medical team. A big discrepancy was observed between
psychological support expectations and the proportion of parents who actually
consulted or participated in bereavement groups. Our study clearly demonstrates
that parents who lose a child through cancer have particular needs and
therefore deserve special attention.