Cancer Conversations Among Children With Cancer

Abstract

<p> Self-disclosure is a psychosocial process in which children carefully decide who, what, and how they tell others about their illness. Unfortunately, there is very little known about how children disclose their cancer diagnosis to their peers. For this reason, this study utilized a qualitative secondary analysis approach to investigate whether and how children disclose their illness to peers at camp. A thematic analysis was undertaken to analyze 21 interviews completed by children who experienced cancer and were from two summer residential camps in Ontario. This resulted in four themes including talking about cancer, thinking about cancer, attitude towards illness, and social environment and relationships. The findings affirm that illness disclosure is extremely complex and has several contributing factors. Further research in the area of disclosure among children with cancer is encouraged, as it can assist in the development of support and interventions for children engaging in numerous types of disclosure. </p>