The Meaning and Performance of Self-Care by Adolescents with Leukemia

Abstract

Background: “Self-care” is an essential component for adolescents with leukemia to cope with the illness and chemotherapy. Pediatric clinicians, especially nurses, need to create method to support self-care practice of adolescent with leukemia. Because the current literature contains little evidence concerning self-care in adolescents with leukemia during their chemotherapy period, studies on the meaning of self-care from the experience of adolescents with leukemia are needed.

Method: The qualitative method was applied in this study to describe the meaning of self-care from the experience of adolescents with leukemia. Data were collected by in-depth interview of 11 adolescents with leukemia. In addition, field note and observation note were written on the reflections, ideas, and meaning of self-care during the data collection process. All data were analyzed by using thematic analysis method.

Results: Two themes reflected the meaning of self-care from the perspective of adolescents, including 1) “Leaning self-care”: Adolescents with leukemia must "learn" many things about living with chemotherapy and maintaining their way of life, and 2) “Performing self-care in daily life”: were the strategies to performing self-care to fit with the daily life.

Conclusion: Both themes emphasized the point of “self-care” that adolescents with leukemia took in terms of learning self-care and the variety of self-care activities that they practiced and modified for the goodness of integration with daily living. The findings help provide a clear picture of self-care in this group, and can help pediatric nurses and clinicians create intervention to support self-care for adolescents with leukemia.