Highlights
- •The finding reveals how mothers from a sense of unacceptability to accept challenges and gain inner strength.
- •Awareness changes and demands, and keep moving forward can help mothers develop positive coping for caring for a child with cancer.
- •Psychological adjustment and religious beliefs are key elements in mothers' journeys toward embracing life.
- •The findings can provide guidance for assessment on mothers' coping and be useful in guiding intervention development.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to explore the experience and views of mothers with children who
have been diagnosed with retinoblastoma.
Design and methods
A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in the period of 2019–2021. Interviews
were conducted with 21 mothers of children diagnosed with retinoblastoma in Indonesia.
Data were collected by semi-structured interviews and examined by content analysis.
Results
Mothers evolved from a sense of unacceptability to accepting challenges and gaining
inner strength. Three themes were identified: 1) physical and psychological suffering,
2) awareness of changes and demands, and 3) keep moving forward. Mothers developed
positive adaptive mechanisms for coping with the problems associated with having a
child with retinoblastoma. Psychological adjustment and religious beliefs were key
elements in their journeys toward embracing life in the moment.
Conclusion
Findings illuminated psychological adaptation and coping strategies of mothers with
seriously ill children and highlighted how difficulties and cultural norms shaped
the adaptative process. Religion and health beliefs played varied and important roles
in helping mothers to manage their stress and enhance their coping strategies.
Practice implications
Our findings revealed that it is important to routinely assess social support, traditional
health beliefs, and spirituality on mothers, facilitate mentoring to help mothers
find their inner strengths, and develop intervention programs designed to promote
psychological adjustment without delaying treatment.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 16, 2022
Accepted:
June 7,
2022
Received in revised form:
June 6,
2022
Received:
March 22,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
