title: "I knew from day one that i'm either gonna fight this thing or be defeated": African American parents' experiences of coping with breast cancer.
abstract: Few studies have explored how African American parents navigate breast cancer while parenting their school-age children. This focus-group study examined how African American parents cope with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Three focus groups were conducted with nine African American parents coping with breast cancer. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Participants described a variety of coping strategies. Five primary themes emerged: involvement in community of support, relationship with cancer, being the family emotional regulator, highlighting positives, and spirituality. Findings suggest that providers can improve the care of African American breast cancer patients and their families by facilitating patient advocacy, encouraging patients to reach out to various support systems, discussing with patients their children's functioning, and integrating spirituality into available support programs. Developing more culturally sensitive support groups that promote shared family understanding and open communication among African American parents and their children can facilitate better coping.
authors.affiliation: 1Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Karni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kissil
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niño
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davey
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009511:New England; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African American parents; breast cancer; coping; focus groups; oncology