School of Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Australia.
WA Cancer Prevention Research Unit, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Australia.
J Pediatr Psychol. 2022 Feb 14;47(2):148-157. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsab125.
COVID-19 has had far-reaching impacts including changes in work, travel, social structures, education, and healthcare.
This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents of children receiving treatment for cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parents whose children were currently in treatment for childhood cancer or had completed treatment in the previous 12 months, participated in semi-structured interviews, face-to-face or via teleconferencing. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.
The sample consisted of 34 participants (17 fathers and 17 mothers) from all states across Australia. Median age 37.5 years (range 29-51, years, SD = 6.3). Five main themes were identified: "Welcome to the Club"; "Remote Work and Study"; "Silver Linings"; "The Loneliest Experience" with three sub-themes "Immediate Family"; "Friends"; and "Overseas Family" and "Lack of Support" with two sub-themes: "Community Support" and "Organized Support."
These findings revealed contrasting experiences of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For parents whose children were neutropenic, the pandemic provided benefits in increased community understanding of infection control. Parents also reflected that the movement to remote work made it easier to earn an income. In contrast, some parents observed that restrictions on visitors and family intensified feelings of isolation. Parents also described how the COVID-19 reduced access to support services. These findings contribute to an understanding of the multifaceted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of children with cancer.
COVID-19 疫情产生了深远的影响，包括工作、旅行、社会结构、教育和医疗等方面的变化。
本研究旨在探讨 COVID-19 大流行期间正在接受癌症治疗的儿童的父母的经历。
参与本项半结构式访谈的父母，其孩子目前正在接受儿童癌症治疗或在过去 12 个月内完成治疗。访谈采用面对面或远程会议的方式进行。使用主题分析对数据进行分析。
研究对象来自澳大利亚所有州的 34 名参与者（17 名父亲和 17 名母亲）。中位年龄 37.5 岁（范围 29-51 岁，标准差 6.3）。确定了 5 个主要主题：“欢迎加入俱乐部”；“远程工作和学习”；“一线希望”，包括三个子主题：“直系亲属”；“朋友”；和“海外家庭”；以及“缺乏支持”，包括两个子主题：“社区支持”和“有组织的支持”。
这些发现揭示了 COVID-19 大流行的影响的不同经历。对于其孩子中性粒细胞减少的父母，大流行增加了社区对感染控制的了解，这带来了好处。父母还反映说，远程工作的转变使他们更容易获得收入。相比之下，一些父母观察到访客和家庭的限制加剧了孤立感。父母还描述了 COVID-19 如何减少对支持服务的访问。这些发现有助于了解 COVID-19 对癌症儿童家庭的多方面影响。
