Literature as a psychological intervention resource for coping with childhood cancer
Childhood cancer; Child mourning; Children’s Literature; Bibliotherapy; Death.
Childhood cancer and cancer treatment involve the experience of different situations and emotions. Even with high rates of cure and survival, children need to deal with the possibility of their own death and the death of their treatment partners. In childhood, in addition to being painful, death is a difficult process to understand, as adults often find it difficult to talk about death with the child, as a way to protect them. As a result, there may be an increase in anxiety, loneliness and anguish, in addition to damage to child development. Therefore, it is hereby proposed the development and validation of a book about coping with the death of children that are partners of cancer treatment, with the objective of psychoeducating the child about death and mourning, as well as helping to elaborate experiences and assist in coping with the process of mourning in childhood. For this purpose, the following steps were carried out: (1) integrative literature review; (2) case study, with action research; and (3) methodological study, under construction, which will involve three studies: (a) exploratory, descriptive in character; (b) case study, with action research; and (c) methodological research. Data analysis was/will be performed through thematic analysis and/or reliability test. It was found that children with cancer, as well as families and professionals experience challenges, but they also develop as individuals and as a family. Furthermore, it was found that situations can be experienced in a less painful and traumatic way, if those involved receive support and provide the child with playful care that helps in the development of adaptive coping strategies. In this context, children's books helped in understanding and coping with the disease, medical procedures and treatment; and in the coping with mourning the death of treatment partners. It was concluded that playful interventions represented protective factors and that the role of the adults is to accompany and provide support, helping the child to understand and express their emotions and learn to deal with the challenges inherent in the cancer context.