Darlington, Anne-Sophie E, Morgan, Jessica E, Wagland, Richard et al. (4 more authors) (2020) COVID-19 and children with cancer:Parents' experiences, anxieties and support needs. Pediatric blood & cancer. e28790. ISSN 1545-5009
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with cancer were designated as clinically extremely vulnerable if they were to contract SARS-CoV-2 due to immune suppression in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to explore experiences, information and support needs, and decision making of parents with a child with cancer in response to this phase in the United Kingdom. METHODS: Parents of a child with cancer completed a survey at a time when the UK moved into a period of 'lockdown'. An online survey was developed by the research team to capture parents' experiences, information and support needs, and decision making, using closed statements and open text boxes. Descriptive quantitative analyses and qualitative thematic content analysis were undertaken. FINDINGS: One hundred seventy-one parents/caregivers completed the survey. Eighty-five percent were worried about the virus and they were vigilant about the virus (92%) or cancer symptoms (93.4%). For two-thirds (69.6%), hospital was no longer considered a safe place. Eight overarching themes were identified related to the virus: (a) risk of infection; (b) information, guidance and advice; (c) health care provision; (d) fears and anxieties; or related to lockdown/isolation: (e) psychological and social impact; (f) keeping safe under lockdown; (g) provisions and dependence; and (h) employment and income. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to report experiences of parents of a child with cancer during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of parents were worried about SARS-CoV-2 and transmitting the virus to their child. Hospital was no longer perceived to be a safe place, and parents were worried about suboptimal cancer care. Parents described fear and anxiety and the psychological, social and economic impact of isolation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Hull York Medical School (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 07 Dec 2020 16:10 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2025 17:50 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.28790 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/pbc.28790 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:168775 |
Download
Filename: PBC_SHARE_paper_04.09.2020_prepublication.docx
Description: PBC SHARE paper 04.09.2020 prepublication