Psychological Impact and Coping Strategies of Hispanic Parents of Children with Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Carol Y. Ochoa-Dominguez (), Kimberly A. Miller, Matthew P. Banegas, Daniel Sabater-Minarim and Randall Y. Chan
Additional contact information
Carol Y. Ochoa-Dominguez: Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Kimberly A. Miller: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
Matthew P. Banegas: Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Daniel Sabater-Minarim: Center for Health Equity Education and Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Randall Y. Chan: Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Throughout the cancer trajectory, parents of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) may experience mental and social challenges requiring continual adaptation to cancer-induced stress. Using Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping framework, this qualitative study aimed to describe Hispanic parents’ psychological health and explore their coping strategies. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 15 Hispanic caregivers from a safety-net hospital in Los Angeles County. To be eligible, participants had to be: the primary caregiver of a CCS who had completed active treatment, the primary caregiver or child self-identified as Hispanic, and proficient in English or Spanish. The interviews lasted approximately 60 min, were audio-recorded (in English and Spanish), and professionally transcribed. Data were analyzed following a thematic content analysis with deductive and inductive approaches on Dedoose. Participants described high levels of stress and fear when their child was diagnosed with cancer. They also shared experiencing symptoms of social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Participants’ coping strategies were encompassed by three major themes: problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping strategies. Problem-focused coping strategies included self-efficacy, behavioral change, and social support. Emotion-focused coping strategies included religious practices and positive reframing. Avoidant coping strategies included denial and self-distraction. Despite the evident disparities in psychological health for Hispanic parents of CCSs, gaps remain in designing a culturally tailored program to help alleviate the caregiver burden. This study provides insights regarding coping strategies that Hispanic caregivers use to deal with the psychological impact of their child’s cancer diagnosis. Our findings also delve into the contextual and cultural factors that impact psychological adjustment.

Keywords: parents; childhood cancer survivors; psychological impact; coping strategies; Hispanics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/11/5928/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/11/5928/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:11:p:5928-:d:1153969

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().