Ozawa Noriko, Fukuzawa Rieko, Furuya Kayuri
Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan.
Faculty of Global Nursing, Iryo Sosei University, Chiba 277-0803, Japan.
Children (Basel). 2021 Apr 2;8(4):274. doi: 10.3390/children8040274.
Recently, proton beam therapy has been recommended in radiation therapy for child-hood cancer. However, facilities for children are limited, and parents who choose this treatment for their children face a variety of challenges. This study reveals mothers' experiences about the decision to use the aforementioned therapy. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 16 mothers of children who received proton beam therapy in Japan, and a grounded theory approach was adopted. The results revealed that mothers were very worried about late complications concerning their children due to radiation. While the mothers strongly expected proton beam therapy to reduce the risk of late complications, they felt uncertainty and anxiety throughout the entire decision-making process. Despite having to deal with their feelings, they had to transfer to another hospital and prepare support for their children to begin treatment, and this put a lot of strain on them. From decision-making to start of treatment, these emotional fluctuations and the need for psychological support became apparent.
最近，质子束疗法已被推荐用于儿童癌症的放射治疗。然而，儿童治疗设施有限，为孩子选择这种治疗方法的家长面临着各种挑战。本研究揭示了母亲们在决定使用上述疗法时的经历。对16位在日本接受质子束治疗的儿童的母亲进行了半结构化访谈，并采用了扎根理论方法。结果显示，母亲们非常担心辐射给孩子带来的晚期并发症。虽然母亲们强烈期望质子束疗法能降低晚期并发症的风险，但在整个决策过程中，她们感到不确定和焦虑。尽管她们不得不应对自己的情绪，但她们还得转院并为孩子开始治疗准备支持措施，这给她们带来了很大压力。从决策到开始治疗，这些情绪波动以及对心理支持的需求变得很明显。
