Fathers of Children With Cancer: A Descriptive Study of Their Stressors and Coping Strategies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the stressors and coping strategies of fathers with a child diagnosed with cancer. Differences in the fathers' stressors, feelings, and coping strategies by severity of their child's condition were also assessed. The Contingency Model of Long-Term Care was the framework for the study. The Parental Perception Inventory questionnaire was completed by 23 fathers. The fathers reported that their most common concern was their "child's future," followed by their "child's health." The most common coping strategy was "to pray," a strategy that was also reported as being the most helpful. The next most common strategies were "to get information," "look at options," and "to weigh choices." These strategies are problem-oriented which is consistent with the research findings of others. A one-way analysis of variance with planned comparisons was used to compare stressors, feelings, and coping strategies of the fathers by severity of their child's condition. No planned comparisons were statistically significant at the .05 level nor were any additional differences detected.