How do mothers with advanced cancer experience anxiety about present and future of their children aged 6-12 years: a...

Women with cancer often experience alterations in their mothering roles both because of the cancer and the reduced ability for child care. However, many of them try to play their mothering roles as they have done before the disease and in this role they experience many anxieties. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to gain more insight about these anxieties that mothers with cancer, having a child or children aged 6-12 years, experience.

Semi-structured interviews with a sample of 12 women from 800 women, with an age range of 27-52 years at the time of the interview, who were diagnosed with different types of metastasis cancer, and had at least a child aged 6-12 years, were conducted. The interviews continued until saturation of the data. Some open-ended questions about lived experiences were used. After recording and writing the content of interviews, transcripts were analyzed based on Colaizzi method.

By analysis of data about the anxieties of these mothers, total 70 non-duplicate codes were extracted, and 7 main themes and also 26 subthemes were identified.

This study offers to develop a comprehensive caring plan for their children to reduce anxiety in these mothers.

This knowledge could be beneficial to provide more guidance for mothers during and after stages of treatment to reduce their anxiety about their children by focusing on the new definition of motherhood. Redefining mothering could mean diminishing the mothering demands in relation to housekeeping, being more peaceful and patient, and being grateful daily for a life with happiness. They can encourage their children to become more involved in household tasks and their homework.