Adaptation in children with cancer: research with Roy's model

This qualitative study was undertaken to establish a conceptual framework for the adaptation process of Taiwanese children with cancer. It was guided by Roy's adaptation model. Thirty-four pediatric cancer patients (23 boys and 11 girls) with different illness trajectories (from newly diagnosed to terminal stage) participated. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with patients and primary caregivers, observations, medical chart review, and researchers' reflective journals. The following five aspects of adaptation that emerged from the study were categorized according to different age groups: physiological and psychological, cognitive (self-concept), interdependence, and future orientation (self-concept and role). Comparison with Roy's adaptation theory is discussed.