Abstract

ROSA, Jade; MOREIRA, Mariana  and  HAAS, Sílvia. The experience of adult children caregivers of oncology patients in palliative care. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2022, vol.23, n.3, pp.669-682.  Epub Dec 31, 2022. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/22psd230307.

Facing the oncology context and palliative care, the attention to patients must be extended to family members, since they also suffer with the disease impacts, even more so when they assume the caregivers role. This is a qualitative research work, of an explanatory and descriptive nature, which proposed to understand the experience of adult children caregivers of cancer patients, followed up by the Management Programme of Palliative Care in one of the adult oncology hospital in Porto Alegre-RS. The participants were eight daughters of hospitalized patients, selected by convenience. The data were collected with a socio-demographic data questionnaire and a semi-strutured interview, the materials were assessed through the content analysis method. The results obtained have shown the impacts in lives of the families, highlighting the emotional repercussion of sickness, the reverberation of the caregiver role, the changes in routine, as well as in plans and projects on the verge of the imminent loss. All the participants manifested the desire to exert care by their feeling of thankfullness and affection towards their genitor. However, they report being overwhelmed with this function, besides the anxiety and depressive symptoms. The children experience calls for reflections and specific interventions targeted to this population, considering the importance of the studies about this theme.

Keywords : Oncology; Palliative Care; Family; Adult Children.

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