THE EXPERIENCE OF PARENTAL CANCER FROM THE PARENTS' PERSPECTIVE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

INTRODUCTION: Parental cancer is the experience of cancer at an early age in adulthood in people with dependent children, leading to changes in parent-child interaction, family dynamics, the performance of the parental role and socio-economic difficulties. OBJECTIVE: To analyze parents’ perspectives who are undergoing cancer treatment to understand the impact this has on their parental role. METHODOLOGY: Qualitative study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews based on a structured script founded on the Betty Neuman Model. The sample consisted of cancer patients in the treatment phase, with different types of cancer, monitored in a Portuguese cancer hospital, with teenage children aged 14 to 19. Data analysis was carried out using content analysis according to Bardin. The ethical assumptions associated with the study were safeguarded. RESULTS: From the analysis of the 13 interviews carried out, the domain Experience of parental cancer emerged, with two categories “Everything changed in us: the cancer diagnosis” and “Life goes on: repercussions of parental cancer on parent-child interaction” and respective subcategories. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the implications of the diagnosis of cancer and the repercussions of parental cancer on parent-child interaction. The results will support the design of a nursing intervention program for the dyad experiencing parental cancer.