Family Needs in Parental Cancer: A Qualitative Analysis of Contextual Factors From the Perspective of Healthy Parents—Results From the Family-SCOUT Study

Abstract

Introduction: Parental cancer affects the whole family and can have negative impact on family as a system as well as on single family members. This multicentre, prospective, interventional and non-randomized family-SCOUT study aimed to implement a comprehensive psychosocial intervention to provide support for the family during and after the disease. The purpose of this study is to analyse the contextual factors that impact the subjective perceived effectiveness of family-scout support for families affected by parental cancer from the healthy parents’ perspective. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with the healthy parent as a surrogate of family-SCOUT families from the intervention group were conducted. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using template analysis. Results: Within two years, 23 interviews were conducted. Four themes were identified, highlighting contextual factors that indicate successful support for families: Ability to meet the support needs of families; cancer as a family disease—burdens in the context of the family system; coping strategies—how the individual family members deal with the situation and communication within the family. Conclusion: Family-scouts can provide beneficial support to families affected by parental cancer, but individual time of the families, communication and stress factors need to be taken into consideration. Trial Registration:​ Familien-SCOUT: NCT04186923.