La experiencia psicológica de un paciente pediátrico con cáncer en momentos de amenaza vital: Estudio de caso

Introduction: Cancer is considered a life-threatening disease as it implies the probability that the child will die prematurely. There is little information from the pediatric patient's perspective about their psychological experience in life-threatening situations. This study aims to expand knowledge in this area by presenting the experience of a child cancer survivor in life-threatening situations. Patient and methods: 9-year-old patient who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the femur. A case study design is followed, in which the information was collected through a semi-structured interview, and an interpretative phenomenological analysis was carried out with the resulting data. Results: The main feelings experienced in life-threatening situations were fear, sadness and impotence. One of the trigger factors was to think about the possibility of being separated from his parents. This experience had an impact on his life and shaped his identity. To deal with this difficult situation, he used approach coping strategies, such as emotional connection, and avoidance, such as distraction, humor, and forgetting. Discussion: The emotional reactions to the experience and the impact that this had on the minor's life can be interpreted within the Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress model. Knowing the experience from the point of view of the pediatric patient, together with his way of coping with it, can help to reinforce or adapt the interventions for clinical practice.