Fathers Diagnosed with Cancer: The Impact of Cancer Care on Parenting
Event Type
Presentation
Start Date
12-9-2018 9:00 AM
End Date
12-9-2018 12:00 PM
Description
Purpose: This study focused on the impact of cancer on fathers’ parental roles. Adding to the growing body of literature on fathering with cancer will aid in furthering the understanding of the distinct needs of this population and provide a basis for services, including psychosocial support. Occupational therapy practitioners will benefit from a rich understanding of how cancer can influence habits, roles and routines of fathers in order to provide client-centered care. In order to determine the impact cancer has on the parenting roles of fathers the proposed research design question was: What impact does cancer have on the fathers’ experience of parenting roles?
Participants and Methods: A phenomenological approach was chosen in effort to describe meanings associated with a specific phenomenon. The study focused on understanding how the phenomenon of cancer might impact fathers’ parenting roles, it at all. Participants included 10 individuals who were at least 18 years old, were a cancer survivor, and had at least one son or daughter.
Results: The overall essence that emerged from the data was self preservation of the role of fathers. Coding resulted in six common themes described across all 10 interviews: seeing the silver lining, fear of uncertain future, struggle to relinquish control: self preservation, deeper appreciation of spending time with children, adaptation of role as a father, and need for external support.
Conclusion: The research findings indicated that despite being diagnosed with cancer, fathers strive for self-preservation of their role as a father. A need has been identified for health professionals, particularly occupational therapy practitioners, to address barriers to parenting for fathers diagnosed with cancer.
Recommended Citation
Longpré, S., Cernat, S., Chavez, L., Garcia, R., & Lomeli, I. (2018), Fathers Diagnosed with Cancer: The Impact of Cancer Care on Parenting, Presentation, Fourth Annual Research Colloquium, https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ot_colloquium/fourth/events/5
Fathers Diagnosed with Cancer: The Impact of Cancer Care on Parenting
Purpose: This study focused on the impact of cancer on fathers’ parental roles. Adding to the growing body of literature on fathering with cancer will aid in furthering the understanding of the distinct needs of this population and provide a basis for services, including psychosocial support. Occupational therapy practitioners will benefit from a rich understanding of how cancer can influence habits, roles and routines of fathers in order to provide client-centered care. In order to determine the impact cancer has on the parenting roles of fathers the proposed research design question was: What impact does cancer have on the fathers’ experience of parenting roles?
Participants and Methods: A phenomenological approach was chosen in effort to describe meanings associated with a specific phenomenon. The study focused on understanding how the phenomenon of cancer might impact fathers’ parenting roles, it at all. Participants included 10 individuals who were at least 18 years old, were a cancer survivor, and had at least one son or daughter.
Results: The overall essence that emerged from the data was self preservation of the role of fathers. Coding resulted in six common themes described across all 10 interviews: seeing the silver lining, fear of uncertain future, struggle to relinquish control: self preservation, deeper appreciation of spending time with children, adaptation of role as a father, and need for external support.
Conclusion: The research findings indicated that despite being diagnosed with cancer, fathers strive for self-preservation of their role as a father. A need has been identified for health professionals, particularly occupational therapy practitioners, to address barriers to parenting for fathers diagnosed with cancer.