Caring for a parent with lung cancer: caregivers' perspectives on the role of communication.
We investigated communication and care in the context of lung cancer through qualitative interviews with 35 adult children. Participants described two core influences on communication: situational and relational influences. Participants also suggested that the ways in which support was communicated impacted how they managed challenges and how they were able to cope with the loss of their parent. This research adds to the literature on caregiving and communicating social support by exploring the experiences of families coping with lung cancer. We suggest theoretical and practical implications for the ways family members might communicate about illness.
Department of Communication, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave, Box 2777, Winter Park, FL 32789, USA. amstone2@gmail.com
Anne M
AM
Stone
Sylvia
S
Mikucki-Enyart
Ashley
A
Middleton
John P
JP
Caughlin
Laura E
LE
Brown
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological