"You can only take so much, and it took everything out of me": Coping strategies used by parents of children with cancer

Objective: This study qualitatively assesses the coping strategies of parents who care for a child with cancer. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 French and English families who had had a child diagnosed with cancer in the last ten years in two Eastern Canadian provinces. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded with a focus on parental coping strategies. Results: Using coping behaviors as described and categorized in the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model as a foundation, we found that families used a variety of appraisal-, emotion-, and problem-focused coping. Appraisal-focused coping strategies involved trying to stay "positive" and "making positive comparisons". Problem-focused coping involved behaviors such as being an advocate for the child and seeking information. The majority of parents, however, described using emotion-focused coping behaviors such as trying to avoid "feeling too much" by hiding difficult emotions and "escaping" from problems. Others used more positive emotion-focused coping behaviors such as humor, seeking support (informal or formal), or writing diaries. A small group of parents used ineffective coping strategies (alcohol abuse, misdirected anger) that added to family stress. These ineffective strategies have led to a modification of the FAAR model indicating that not all coping behaviors are beneficial to family adjustment in crisis. Overall, many parents felt that their coping strategies were effective; however, a few described having a complete "coping breakdown". Significance of results: Parents used a range of coping strategies of which emotion-focused coping was the most prominent. We have enhanced the FAAR model by including additional coping behaviors as well as a description of how some coping behaviors add to the daily stressors for parents dealing with a child's illness. Professional health care providers need to understand the variability of the coping behaviors in order to appropriately assist parents to avoid coping breakdowns.