Experience of Parents with Children Undergoing Chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: The care of a child receiving chemotherapy has a significant impact on the parents and family structure, which has been explored in depth in a few studies in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study is to further explore the lived experiences of Saudi Arabian parents in caring for their children receiving chemotherapy. METHODOLOGY: A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study with a sample of 17 parents of children receiving chemotherapy. The participants were recruited using the snow-balling technique throughout the community, as well as from the University Hospital, Pediatric Oncology Department. The data were collected via in-person and virtual methods using semi-structured, open-ended interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The findings of the study were placed into two main themes: family experience and stages of disease. Family experiences include the parents and siblings’ experiences. The stages of disease include three sub-themes: the pre-diagnosis phase, diagnosis phase, and treatment phase. CONCLUSION: The cancer journey had a huge impact on the parents and siblings. The study revealed important findings related to the experiences during the stages of diseases and lived experiences of parents and siblings including psychological, physiological, social, and financial impacts.