Fathering and the Pediatric Cancer Experience.
Abstract
A descriptive study was conducted to answer the question: What is the cultural knowledge that informs the behavior of fathers in interaction with their children during the pediatric cancer experience. The concepts of the culture of the father, the fathers' role in the family, and the crisis of the pediatric cancer experience formed the basis of the conceptual framework. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with four fathers of children being treated at a medical center in a large southwestern city. Tape recordings of the interviews were transcribed and analyzed between interviews. From analysis of the recordings, taxonomies were developed of which 'kinds of things fathers do with children' and 'kinds of things fathers do when they monitor the health of children' are examples. Five cultural themes identified: (1) being there, (2) education on a day to day basis, (3) recreation, (4) fear, and (5) quality of life. Fathers were found to be deeply involved and therefore their views need to be emphasized in the nursing care of children. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA106945
Entities
People
- Patricia Ann Damler
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology