Understanding parents’ communication experiences in childhood cancer: a qualitative exploration and model for future research

Purpose Following their child’s cancer diagnosis, parents must rapidly familiarize themselves with cancer-specific information and the health-care setting. Theory-driven research is needed to understand and address parents’ difficulties when interacting with health-care professionals (HCPs). We examined parents’ health-care experiences during and after the child’s cancer treatment. Methods We recruited parents of children/adolescents (aged < 18 years) who had recently completed cancer treatment with curative intent from eight Australian hospitals. We conducted in-depth interviews using the psychosocial adjustment to illness scale while recruiting for the “CASCADE” survivorship intervention. We used grounded theory to explore parents’ health-care experiences. Results Fifty-two mothers and six fathers of survivors (mean age at diagnosis = 5.1 years, time since treatment = 1.9 years) participated. Parents’ experiences were characterized by (1) positive and negative interactions, (2) attitudes towards health care and HCPs, (3) trust and mistrust in the doctor-parent relationship, and (4) parents’ engagement in care. Parents built trust with HCPs, who seemed approachable and personable. Although parents’ experience was overall very positive, nearly half of parents reported negative interactions and mistrust. Parents rationalized negative experiences as caused by constraints in the health-care setting. Most parents felt support ended prematurely. We propose a new model accounting for these experiences and identifying potential underlying mechanisms. Conclusions Depending on their degree of trust, parents followed recommendations more closely (high trust) or focused on being advocates for their child (low trust). Parents minimized the impact of negative HCP interactions through internal, rationalizing processes. Our findings demonstrate parents’ flexibility in acting as a dynamic buffer between HCP-interactions and their child.