Abstract

CASTRO, Ewerton Helder Bentes de. A experiência do câncer infantil: repercussões familiares, pessoais e sociais. Rev. Mal-Estar Subj. [online]. 2010, vol.10, n.3, pp. 971-994. ISSN 1518-6148.

Cancer is a group of pathologies that strike an organism, duplicating differentiated cells in a disordered way. One of the most dramatic manifestations is when the victim is a child, and the experience of communicating the diagnosis installs a crisis where the vulnerabilities of the family nucleus are exposed. Being the parent of a child diagnosed with cancer is equivalent to living with imminent loss, provoking immeasurable pain and the sensation that the world constructed and dreamed of is falling apart. The objective of this study was to understand the family, personal and social repercussions of the mothers of children diagnosed with cancer. The phenomenological method for research in psychology, based on the thoughts of Martin Heidegger, was used, and the participants were fifteen mothers housed in the Lar de Apoio à Criança com Câncer (Support Home for Children with Cancer) in Manaus, Brazil. An open interview was used and the leading question was: "Could you please describe to me how the moment you received the diagnosis that your child had cancer affected you and how you felt on receiving this news". It was found that various modifications occurred in their lives, with repercussions at the family, personal and social levels. Caring is lived in its complete amplitude in its relation with others and also with themselves, providing growth and learning.

Keywords : Child cancer; Family; Phenomenology; Caring; Psychology.

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