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Carreño-Moreno S, Arias-Rojas M, Chaparro-Díaz L. Seeking an Adjustment from the Unnatural to the Supernatural: The Experience of Losing a Child from Cancer in Colombia. Indian J Palliat Care. 2021;27(1):23-30doi: 10.4103/IJPC.IJPC_72_20.
Carreño-Moreno, S., Arias-Rojas, M., & Chaparro-Díaz, L. (2021). Seeking an Adjustment from the Unnatural to the Supernatural: The Experience of Losing a Child from Cancer in Colombia. Indian journal of palliative care, 27(1), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.4103/IJPC.IJPC_72_20
Carreño-Moreno, Sonia, et al. "Seeking an Adjustment from the Unnatural to the Supernatural: The Experience of Losing a Child from Cancer in Colombia." Indian journal of palliative care vol. 27,1 (2021): 23-30. doi: https://doi.org/10.4103/IJPC.IJPC_72_20
Carreño-Moreno S, Arias-Rojas M, Chaparro-Díaz L. Seeking an Adjustment from the Unnatural to the Supernatural: The Experience of Losing a Child from Cancer in Colombia. Indian J Palliat Care. 2021 Jan-Mar;27(1):23-30. doi: 10.4103/IJPC.IJPC_72_20. Epub 2021 Feb 17. PMID: 34035613; PMCID: PMC8121221.
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Indian J Palliat Care. 2021 Jan-Mar;27(1):23-30. doi: 10.4103/IJPC.IJPC_72_20. Epub 2021 Feb 17.

Seeking an Adjustment from the Unnatural to the Supernatural: The Experience of Losing a Child from Cancer in Colombia.

Indian journal of palliative care

Sonia Carreño-Moreno, Mauricio Arias-Rojas, Lorena Chaparro-Díaz

Affiliations

  1. Research Group Nursing Care for the Chronic Patient, Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
  2. Department of Vocational Training, Faculty of Nursing, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia.

PMID: 34035613 PMCID: PMC8121221 DOI: 10.4103/IJPC.IJPC_72_20

Abstract

AIMS: The death of a child with cancer can be devastating for his or her parents. This study sought to understand the way in which the process of parental grief develops after the death of a child with cancer.

METHODS: The research used a grounded theory approach, in which 18 participants were enrolled including parents whose child died from cancer 5 months to 5 years before. In-depth interviews were conducted, which were analyzed using constant comparisons until theoretical saturation was reached.

RESULTS: Fifteen subcategories were identified and grouped into three categories that explain what the grieving process represents to the parents over time (a) crossing a desert, (b) dying while alive, and (c) coming back to life. From the emerging relationships among the categories, the core category "seeking adjustment from the unnatural to the supernatural" arises. The results show that grief begins from the moment of diagnosis until long after the child's death. For parents, it entails understanding the disruption in the natural course of life, going through indescribable pain, and being spiritually reconnected with their child.

CONCLUSIONS: These results enable nurses to design comprehensive interventions that meet the described needs of these parents.

Copyright: © 2021 Indian Journal of Palliative Care.

Keywords: Cancer; caregivers; child; grief; grounded theory

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

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