Abstract

The diagnosis of cancer in a child is one of the most significant stressors a parent can experience, and research in the area of stress-related effects of illness on parents has emerged in many areas. The majority of studies have focused on the potential or actual negative impact on parents during and after treatment of their child's illness. However, studies that initially set out to explore the difficulties associated with coping with childhood cancer found that parents often reported positive aspects about the experience. There is now increasing interest and support for the study of "positive-health" factors that contribute to protective variables influencing the health and well being of parents, such as benefit finding. The present study aimed to illuminate the process of benefit finding in parents of children with cancer and to develop a theoretical model of this process based on the findings. This grounded theory study resulted in a conceptual model that organized and depicted the constructs and structures related to the process of benefit finding. Through constant comparative analysis, the Basic Psychosocial Problem was identified as being overwhelmed with fear.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3316877; ProQuest document ID: 304842150. The author still retains copyright.

Carol E. Zogran

Author Details

Carol E. Zogran, PhD, RN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Grounded Theory

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Family Experience, Childhood Cancer, Illness-based Stress

Advisor

Rita H. Pickler

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

Virginia Commonwealth University

Degree Year

2008

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2019-04-05

Full Text of Presentation

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