Parents’ Perspectives on Children with Cancer and their Adjustment to School after Treatment

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it impacts every facet of their life including their school experience and peer relationships. This research explored parents’ perspectives on how their child adjusted to school and peer relationships after a cancer diagnosis and treatment. This study distributed a survey that asked questions about the child’s cancer diagnosis, treatment, return to school, and peer relationships through quantitative and qualitative questions. Fifteen parents of children diagnosed with cancer completed the survey. Results indicated that parents educated the school and child’s class about their child’s diagnosis and sought help from different school support programs. Parent respondents wrote how their children were able to maintain peer relationships and were supported by their classmates during and after treatment for cancer. The findings of this study are limited because of the convenience sampling method and small sample size. The strengths and limitations of the study, implications for social work practice, and directions for future research are also outlined.