Understanding Parents’ Experiences of Having a Child Survive a Malignant Pediatric Brain Tumour: A Philosophical Hermeneutic Inquiry

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dc.contributor.advisorMoules, Nancy
dc.contributor.authorFrancois, Kaitlyn Dawn
dc.contributor.committeememberEstefan, Andrew
dc.contributor.committeememberLaing, Catherine
dc.date2022-11
dc.date.accessioned2022-07-05T16:52:06Z
dc.date.available2022-07-05T16:52:06Z
dc.date.issued2022-06
dc.description.abstractImprovements in the treatment of pediatric cancers, including malignant brain tumours, has resulted in more children surviving this illness well into their adolescent and adult years. It is widely known that survivors of brain tumours often experience long-term side effects of cancer treatments and/or the disease itself. These long-term effects often impact the survivor’s physical, psychological, or social wellbeing and can present significant challenges for the individual as well as for their family. Research on the experience of parents following treatment for their child’s malignant brain tumour is more limited, despite many parents being a central caregiver and source of support in the survivor’s life. The goal of this hermeneutic inquiry was to better understand parents’ experiences of having a child survive a malignant pediatric brain tumour, how interactions with the health care system have shaped the child and family’s experience, and how the survivorship experience can be improved for patients and their families. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the parents of seven pediatric brain tumour survivors (PBTS) to inform understanding of the topic. Data were analyzed in hermeneutic research tradition, as influenced by the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer. Findings revealed that, (a) survivorship was an enduring event and one that defined many aspects of parents’ lives, including daily routines and plans for the future, (b) parents struggled to achieve a balance between independence and dependence, especially for survivors who were more severely affected by cognitive, psychosocial, and emotional side effects, (c) survivors and parents felt left behind by multiple systems including health care and education, as well as by peers and in other relationships, (d) parents experienced a repetitive, cyclical nature to survivorship, described as being “frozen in time,” and (e) survivorship was a period of time wrought by emotion, with guilt, regret, and remorse being highlighted. For parents of PBTS, survivorship is highly complex, emotional, and cannot be navigated in isolation. It is expected that the in-depth understanding of parents’ experiences provided through the written interpretations in this study will lead to future research with families of PBTS and for other related populations and contexts.en_US
dc.identifier.citationFrancois, K. D. (2022). Understanding parents’ experiences of having a child survive a malignant pediatric brain tumour: a philosophical hermeneutic inquiry (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39869
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/114799
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyNursingen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectCancer Survivorshipen_US
dc.subjectNeuro-Oncologyen_US
dc.subjectHermeneuticsen_US
dc.subjectChildhood Canceren_US
dc.subjectPsychosocial Oncologyen_US
dc.subjectQualitative Researchen_US
dc.subjectHealth Researchen_US
dc.subjectPhilosophical Hermeneuticsen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Healthen_US
dc.subject.classificationPhilosophyen_US
dc.subject.classificationNursingen_US
dc.subject.classificationOncologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Socialen_US
dc.titleUnderstanding Parents’ Experiences of Having a Child Survive a Malignant Pediatric Brain Tumour: A Philosophical Hermeneutic Inquiryen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineNursingen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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