title: Chronic Sorrow in Mothers of Children With Cancer.
abstract: Chronic sorrow, a progressive, persistent, and endless feeling of grief, is seen in parents of children with chronic diseases. This study aimed to investigate chronic sorrow in mothers of children with cancer in selected hospitals in Tehran, Iran. It also sought to clarify the relationships between chronic sorrow and some demographic characteristics. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 264 mothers attending 3 pediatric teaching hospitals in Tehran were selected using convenience sampling. The subjects completed a demographic questionnaire and Kendall Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire (Persian version). Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests) statistics in SPSS 16.0. The mean score on the Kendall Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire was 76.39 ± 15.81. Chronic sorrow was likely present or present in 97.7% of the mothers (n = 252). The mean scores on the Disparity, Sadness, and Getting Along subscales were 30.26 ± 104.209, and 33.38 ± 42.777, respectively, and the mean score for coping was 12.75 ± 11.922. The relationships between most demographic characteristics and scores on the Kendall Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire were not significant. Chronic sorrow is a concept experienced by families of children with cancer. The health care provider's knowledge about this concept and its components can facilitate the development of better support and treatment programs and lead to improved quality of life for children and their families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Lida
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nikfarid
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran rassouli.m@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rassouli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Leili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borimnejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alavimajd
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cancer; children; mothers