Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Tina Jaeckle

Abstract

AbstractReceiving a cancer diagnosis for one’s child is a traumatic experience for any parent. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most prevalent form of leukemia in children. Treatment-related issues can negatively affect quality of life and cause long-term emotional, social, and financial stress for the parents. The world faced the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While professional support was available for the parents caring for their children undergoing ALL treatment during the pandemic, how these parents experienced support, including through social media, was unknown. Investigating parents’ lived experiences of support, including social media support, during COVID-19 pandemic, was the focus of this generic qualitative study. The key research question was: How do parents of children diagnosed with ALL and receiving treatment describe their experiences of support, including online support through social media, during the COVID-19 pandemic? Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional theory of stress and coping was the theoretical framework. Findings through thematic analysis from 10 semi-structured interviews of mothers with children undergoing ALL treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in four themes: unusual events leading to diagnosis, support system, online support/social media, and adjustments as a result of COVID-19. Study findings established the need for greater understanding of support for all parents caring for their children in ALL treatment. Implications for social change include better-informed support by the medical community for parents of children diagnosed with ALL undergoing treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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