Syskon till cancersjuka barn : en narrativ intervjustudie

Sammanfattning: This is a narrative study about siblings of children with cancer and the psychological distress they undergo, during and after the treatment of their ill sibling. The empirical material consists of five phone interviews with participants over the age of 18, and with the experience of having a sibling being diagnosed with cancer during their childhood. All participants were female, most of them in their mid-twenties and living in different parts of Sweden. The participants answered questions about everyday life, school and friends, as well as how they processed this traumatic event in their life. In the study the siblings expressed how they often felt excluded from the family and many talked about feelings of loneliness and worry. The siblings explained how meeting with other siblings with similar experiences helped in processing their experiences and some described professionals, for example teachers and hospital staff, as an important support during this traumatic experience. The siblings all concluded that more support is necessary for siblings of seriously ill children and wished that professionals and relatives were more informed of the distress the siblings undergo.