Exploring Lived Experience of Children with Cancer about thire disease and its consequences: A qualitative study

Cancer is an unpredictable stressor in children and has a psychological impact on their lives. Understanding the children's view about their condition, provide better services and eliminating barriers that effects on accepting treatment by the child. The aim of present study was to explore and understand the perspectives of children with cancer about their disease. The present study was a qualitative investigation that conducted by content analysis method in which 20 hospitalized children aged 4-12 years suffering from different type of cancer were selected through purposive sampling and sampling continued until data saturation. To explore the perspectives of children about cancer and its consequences, content analysis of the drawings (by psychoanalytic approach) and the recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data analysis was conducted continuously and simultaneously with data collection and with a comparative method using MAXQDA software. Approximately 1020 codes were identified by the implementation of recorded interviews and drawings of children by open coding. The data coded were finally summarized in five categories: 1. Concerns relative to the place of treatment; 2. Concern with physical problems due to illness and pain; 3. post-traumatic growth, 4. negative problems due to illness, 5. Family consequences of the disease, and 6. The child's view of the process of the disease.