Journal
CHILDREN-BASEL
Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/children9010113
Keywords
cancer; childhood cancer; adaptation; psychological; neoplasm; oncology; sibling; social support; social adjustment
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health [F31NR018987, K01NR016948]
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health [UL1TR002538]
- Sigma Theta Tau, Gamma Rho chapter
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study examined the social networks and sources of support for siblings of children with cancer. The findings revealed that mothers, fathers, close friends, and siblings (with or without cancer) were the most commonly reported sources of support. Friends and siblings provided validation and companionship, while parents offered instrumental and informational supports. This study provides foundational knowledge for improving support for siblings of children with cancer.
Siblings of children with cancer need support to ameliorate the challenges they encounter; however, little is known about what types and sources of support exist for siblings. This study addresses this gap in our understanding of the social networks and sources of support for adolescents with a brother or sister who has cancer. Additionally, we describe how the support siblings receive addresses what they feel are the hardest aspects of being a sibling of a child with cancer. During semi-structured interviews, siblings (ages 12-17) constructed ecomaps describing their support networks. Data were coded for support type (emotional, instrumental, informational, validation, companionship) and support provider (e.g., mother, teacher, friend). Network characteristics and patterns of support were explored. Support network size ranged from 3 to 10 individuals (M = 6 +/- 1.9); siblings most frequently reported mothers as sources of support (n = 22, 91.7%), followed by fathers (n = 19, 79.2%), close friends (n = 19, 79.2%) and siblings (with or without cancer) (n = 17, 70.8%). Friends and brothers or sisters most often provided validation and companionship while instrumental and informational supports came from parents. This study provides foundational knowledge about siblings' support networks, which can be utilized to design interventions that improve support for siblings of children with cancer.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available