| Abstract [eng] |
When a child is diagnosed with an oncological illness, family experiences a crisis – one of the parents, usually the mother, starts living in the hospital together with her child for several upcoming months in order for the child to receive intense treatment. Quite often the doctors in oncology ward pay most of their attention to the sick child, who primarily is a patient there. However, mother‘s experience of living in the hospital is also very important, because her psychological well-being is closely related to her child‘s mental and physical state. The aim of this study is to describe the experience of mothers who lived in the hospital while nursing their daughter diagnosed with leukemia. Four mothers, who lived in the hospital for 2 – 2,5 months while nursing their daughter diagnosed with leukemia participated in this study. The age of the participants varied from 36 to 54 years-old, the age of their daughters varied from 8 to 22 years-old; the time that has passed since living in the hospital varied from 4 to 6 years. Three of the participants were asked to take part in the study with the help of Childhood Cancer Fund ‘‘Rugute“ manager, one participant was recommended by a mother that had already participated. Qualitative method was chosen for this study – P. Colaizzi‘s descriptive phenomenological analysis, semi-structured interview with one broad question for start was formulated and used to gather data. The description of living in the hospital derived from the participants consists of five major themes: Diagnosis and the Start of Living in the Hospital, Relationships, Mother‘s Inner Experiences, Support and It‘s Lack, and Present Consequences. The theme of Diagnosis and the Start of Living in the Hospital revealed that in the beginning mothers experience shock and difficulties adapting to the hospital, creation of their own home-like environment, lack of practical information about daughter‘s illness and treatment, and the excess of frightening information about the illness on the internet. The theme called Relationships revealed changes in the relationship with the daughter and other family members, also establishment of new relationships with other patients. Mother‘s Inner Experiences showed that mothers experience helplessness in daughter‘s suffering, huge responsibility for the course of treatment, constant fatigue and lack of time for themselves, also they experience the tendency to hide the difficulties they are facing. The theme called Support and It‘s Lack revealed the importance of faith and help from relatives, friends and medical personnel, as well as the benefit of various childhood cancer funds‘ activities. Present Consequences showed the anxiety and fear that mothers experiene to this day, also memories related to living in the hospital, consequences for other family members and the change of mothers‘ point of view on life and values. |
