Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: Siblings of children and young people diagnosed with cancer are commonly reluctant to talk about their experiences due to the circumstances of the illness situation. This article aims to bring voice to experience and inform practice by investigating what and how three young sisters narrate about their illness experiences in personal blogs on the Internet. Methods: A narrative methodology for the analysis of life storytelling was applied primarily to investigate the sister’s coping strategies and support needs. Results: The results show how the sisters constructed their own space for narration, with the main aims of expressing their feelings about the illness and seeking social support. The telling of their experiences along with encouraging comments from a supportive audience enabled a change in position from feeling neglected and silenced to being a recognized agent and caring sister. In addition, through their narrative coping the sisters went from powerless to powerful in their position in relation to cancer. Conclusion: The results highlight the need for siblings to be able to narrate experience in a supportive context, where the processing of their relationship with the ill sister/brother should be understood as an important element of their coping with cancer and death.
Highlights
The results highlight the need for siblings to be able to narrate experience in a supportive context, where the processing of their relationship with the ill sister/brother should be understood as an important element of their coping with cancer and death
Siblings of children and young people diagnosed with cancer commonly experience being positioned in a peripheral role within the family, where the main attention is on the ill sister/brother (Long, Marsland, Wright, & Hinds, 2015)
The framings of the blog narratives were analyzed separately to identify the aim of each blogging sister in writing from her articulated position and need
Summary
Siblings of children and young people diagnosed with cancer (referred to below as siblings) commonly experience being positioned in a peripheral role within the family, where the main attention is on the ill sister/brother (Long, Marsland, Wright, & Hinds, 2015). They need to adjust to the ill sister or brother’s changing symptoms and the effects of the treatment, with consequences for their own life situation and wellbeing (Long & Marsland, 2011). One study finds that the cancer experience affects all parts of a sibling’s life (Prchal & Landolt, 2012)
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