Mothering With Advanced Ovarian Cancer: "You've Got to Find That Little Thing That's Going to Make You Strong".
Janet A Arida, Toby Bressler, Samantha Moran and 3 others
PMID 29489476WHAT IT FOUND
Nine mothers with ovarian cancer described moving from diagnosis to patient to mothering with cancer.
Fatigue, pain and emotions limited childcare, while children helped them keep going, ask for help, and set boundaries.
Key findings
01Women described a role transformation from being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, to becoming a cancer patient, to mothering with cancer.
02Fatigue, nausea, pain and emotional reactions limited family activities and childcare duties, and required women to shift focus onto their own needs.
03Women described relying on family and friends, setting boundaries, and using children and family milestones as motivation to keep going.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis used transcripts from a study about self-advocacy, not motherhood, and participants were not asked explicitly about being a mother. Only 9 women were included, all White, and most had at least an associate degree or some college, so the findings may not apply to more diverse mothers with ovarian cancer. The study did not know whether other parent-study participants were mothers, or how many children and their ages. No intervention was tested, so themes describe experiences rather than show what works.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that a mothering-focused intervention works. The study analyzed transcripts from 9 women in a self-advocacy focus group, did not ask about motherhood, and tested no treatment.