Financial Toxicity and Psychosocial Challenges of Chinese Parents in Pediatric Cancer Treatment: A Phenomenological Study.

Abstract

Background: Multimodal treatment and care for pediatric cancer can result in catastrophic medical expenses. However, the lived experiences of parents in navigating financial toxicity during their child's cancer treatment have not been fully explored.

Objective: This study aims to explore the essence of the lived experiences of parents facing financial toxicity when their child undergoes cancer treatment.

Methods: A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted, involving in-depth interviews with parents of children with cancer.

Results: Four major themes emerged: (1) facing moments of complex challenges: risk factors for financial toxicity, (2) "everything for the child": existential guilt and embodied experiences, (3) "trapped time": the collapse of the future dimension and the life resistance in trauma, and (4) "overdrawing the entire family": the impact of financial toxicity on family functioning.

Conclusion: This study explored the subjective experiences of financial toxicity among 18 parents of children with cancer within the sociocultural context of China. The findings indicate that the impact of financial toxicity on some parents extends well beyond material hardship, reshaping their lived experiences through complex physical and psychological pathways. Notably, some participants demonstrated proactive family resilience in the context of posttraumatic growth by embracing a "living in the moment" mindset.

Implications for practice: Based on the findings of this study, nurses could consider assessing the financial toxicity of families in similar contexts and providing those in need with information on financial support.