Children's and adolescents' perspectives on living with advanced cancer: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research.

Qual Life Res

Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1P8, Canada.

Published: August 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study explores the quality of life (QOL) experiences of children and adolescents with advanced cancer, aiming to understand what aspects impact their well-being.
  • Through a meta-synthesis approach, researchers identified key themes reflecting the perspectives of these young patients, such as feeling supported, re-establishing normality, experiencing suffering, and maintaining autonomy.
  • This research highlights the unique voices of children and adolescents in understanding their QOL, marking an important step toward better measurement and understanding of their experiences.

Article Abstract

Purpose: The quality of life (QOL) experiences of children and adolescents living with advanced cancer have been under-explored. Enhancing QOL for this population is a dominant goal of their healthcare yet, there has been little research identifying aspects that impact their QOL. The purpose of this meta-synthesis was to identify themes of QOL informed from the voices of children and adolescents living with advanced cancer.

Methods: This meta-synthesis utilized meta-ethnography to synthesize data from individual studies in order to develop new conceptual understanding of what is important to children and adolescents about their lives when living with advanced cancer.

Results: Our analysis identified themes of QOL relevant to children and adolescents with advanced cancer: (1) feeling supported and wanting to support others; (2) re-establishing normal; (3) suffering and emotional distress; (4) new perspectives; (5) maintaining autonomy; and (6) awareness of time. These themes differed from more traditional dimensions of QOL often applied to children and adolescents with cancer.

Conclusion: This research is novel as its developed themes originated from the direct voices and expressed perspectives of children and adolescents living with advanced cancer. This is a significant initial step toward both understanding QOL in this specific context and the measurement of QOL for this population.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11136-024-03688-yDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

children adolescents
24
living advanced
20
advanced cancer
16
adolescents living
12
qol
8
qol population
8
themes qol
8
advanced
6
children
6
adolescents
6

Similar Publications

Objectives: The study aims to evaluate the pulp-to-tooth area ratio in permanent maxillary central incisors, lateral incisors, and canines for age estimation using three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography images.

Methods: Hundred cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of patients aged between 12-70 years were retrospectively studied using NNT Viewer software version 13. Pulpal and teeth area were evaluated with the "area tool" in the acquired images in all three planes, and the pulp-to-tooth area ratio (PTR) was calculated with the measurements obtained.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The SEER Registry contains U.S. cancer statistics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Vaccination is an important way to prevent disease, but vaccine hesitancy will impact vaccine coverage and indirectly affect health. This study aims to survey the status of vaccine hesitancy among adults in Jinan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the vaccine hesitancy scale among the parents of children and teenagers at hospitals in Jinan, China.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Psychoactive substance use in adults and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure among children are leading contributors to sleeping problems. Despite this, there is limited data on how these exposures influence sleep patterns in informal settings. Our study assessed the associations between substance use, SHS exposure and sleep disturbances among adults and children in an urban informal settlement in Uganda.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!