TITLE:
Talking with Children about Cancer: A Content Analysis of Text in Children’s Picture Books
AUTHORS:
Noyuri Yamaji, Megumi Sawaguchi, Erika Ota
KEYWORDS:
Cancer, Oncology, Pediatrics, Communication, Picture Books, Contents Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.12 No.7,
July
13,
2020
ABSTRACT: Introduction: To tell children that they are diagnosed with cancer is challenging for any healthcare professional and family. Pictures books are one of the communication tools for talking with children about severe diseases. However, little research is available about the contents of picture books about cancer for children. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the contents of children’s picture books about cancer and explore the advantages and disadvantages of using picture books to communicate with children about cancer. Methods: We searched the picture books about cancer written for children aged under ten years old on the Amazon.com Web site on 5 July 2019 and hand-searched on the cancer-related institutes’ Web site. We extracted the texts of relevant picture books and conducted a content analysis of them. Results: We identified 2555 picture books and included 30 of them. We identified three main contents, 1) cancer-related knowledge, 2) impacts of cancer, and 3) dealing with cancer. These contents were written with simple words and illustrations. Some of them included the essential contents, which might be misunderstood by children. Conclusions: Picture books might be helpful for children to understand about cancer. However, as these books do not include all contents, it is necessary to select and use multiple books depending on the content which is wanted to tell the child. Further research should evaluate the impacts of these books as a communication tool when talking with children diagnosed with cancer.