Assessment of Maternal Burden and Family Functioning of Children with Cancer: Mixed Method Study

Abstract

Abstract: Childhood cancer unexpectedly impacts the dynamics of children and their families. This study aimed to evaluate maternal burden and family functioning on children with cancer. This is a sequential explanatory mixed method study, carried out with 30 parents of children with cancer, whose mean age was 33 years (standard deviation = 6.7). The data, collected with the Informal Caregiver Burden Assessment Questionnaire (QASCI) and the Family APGAR Scale, indicated financial (46.7%) and emotional (23.3%) burden, in addition to a high burden in personal life. (60%) and reaction to demands (63.3%) in the interviewed participants. Family APGAR indicated severe dysfunction in 13.3% of families, especially those in which the mother plays the main role. The complexity of the caregiver role, which requires a balance between emotional support for the sick child, financial management and daily activities, contributed to these rates.

Keywords

• neoplasms
• child
• caregivers
• evaluation study
• family support