Assessing the experience of social support for parents who attended Camp Trillium's pediatric oncology family program

ABSTRACT

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the entire family is affected by the demands of the illness and its treatment. This study aimed to provide a more nuanced understanding of the experience of parents of children with cancer when participating in therapeutic recreation programs (such as summer camp) and to address the specific knowledge gap of the role that camp may play in providing social support for these families. In particular, this study aimed to enroll mothers and fathers, as the voice of fathers has previously been missing in research about cancer camps. Method: Qualitative methods were used to better understand the experiences of parents (n = 85) attending Camp Trillium's family program between June 26th and August 31st of 2012. Data obtained were analyzed using a grounded theory approach and thus coded and then grouped using thematic analysis. Parents reported that they experienced valuable peer interaction and experienced an increase in their perceived social support. They also stated that this support was sustained outside of the camp experience. Parents highlighted the important aspects of camp as: the empowering setting, time to escape the treatment routine, and rebuild familial relationships. From the qualitative interviews, five distinct themes were explicated: (a) empowering setting, (b) restoring family relationships, (c) valuable peer interactions, (d) information sharing, and (e) group tensions. In addition to respite and recreational opportunities, camp provides access to an environment and community that has the ability to provide sustained and empowering support for parents dealing with childhood cancer, notably for fathers.

KEYWORDS:

• parents
• pediatric oncology
• qualitative
• social support
• therapeutic recreation

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend their sincere thanks to Camp Trillium for generously facilitating this research and the families whom took the time to participate in this study.

Funding

Martiniuk is funded by a University of Sydney Fellowship and is currently (2016–2018) funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) TRIP (translating research into practice) Fellowship.