Siblings of children diagnosed with cancer: being faced with a moral dilemma

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the participants in the focus groups.

	Group 1 (n = 4)	Group 2 (n = 6)	Group 3 (n = 7)	Group 4 (n = 3)	Group 5 (n = 10)	Group 6 (n = 4)	Group 7 (n = 3)
Gender	3 female 1 male	3 female 3 male	3 female 4 male	3 female	2 male 8 female	3 female 1 male	3 female
Age at study	14–15 years	15–16 years	17–20 years	19–22 years	18–23 years	20–22 years	15–22 years
Age at the time of the brother’s/sister’s cancer diagnosis	6–13 years	3–14 years	9–20 years	12–14 years	6–15 years	6–15 years	12–14 years
Time since diagnosis, years	9–2 years	2–13 years	0–8	5–9	5–15	6–15	3–9
Cancer diagnosis of ill sibling	Leukaemia/lymphoma: 3 Other: 1	CNS tumours: 4 Leukaemia/lymphoma: 2	CNS tumours: 3 Leukaemia/lymphoma: 2 Other: 2	CNS tumours: 1 Other: 2	CNS tumours: 4 Leukaemia/lymphoma: 3 Other: 3	CNS tumours: 1 Leukaemia/lymphoma: 1 Other: 2	Leukaemia/lymphoma: 1 Other: 2
Bereaved participants	0	0	0	1	2	0	1

Notes: Participants in groups 6 and 7 (n = 7) also participated in group 5. One sibling participated in four focus groups (groups 4, 5, 6, 7). CNS, central nervous system.

Table 2. Presentation of themes and sub-themes.

Theme	Sub-theme
Family relations	Finding yourself in the margin
	Closer or further apart to the family
	Altered sibling relationship
	A moral dilemma
Maintaining normality	Keep a distance to the cancer
	School as a free zone or an arena for stigma
	What is a good friend?
	Ambivalent to information