Children's explanation of leukemia: a Hispanic perspective

Children of differing cultural backgrounds experience, interpret, and respond to illness differently. This exploratory descriptive study investigated those explanations of their illness offered by 23 Hispanic children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Content analysis of their interviews disclosed the following information: (a) culturally based treatment interventions were an important component of care, (b) Hispanic parents disclosed little information about the disease process to their children, (c) children tended to explain their illness in terms of symptomatology and side effects, and (d) all physician advice was held in high esteem.