Figen Işık ESENAY, Tufan Aslı SEZER, Sevcan ATAY TURAN

Causal Perceptions in Turkish Parents of Children with Cancer

OBJECTIVETo more fully explore how the parents of childhood cancer patients perceive the causes of their disease.METHODSThis cross-sectional study included 229 parents of children with cancer who were admitted at one ofthe largest children’s hematology and oncology clinics in Ankara, Turkey. The parents completed thecausal representations subscale of the Illness Perception Questionnaire. Analyses of variance and otherdescriptive tests were performed.RESULTSThe most common causal attributions were a function of the Risk Factors Subscale (M=2.94) pertainingto diet and eating disorders. The answers to the open-ended questions indicated that the most significantissue in their children’s disease was faith-based, the will of God, and the “evil eye” (43.9%). The meanscores on the subscale did not vary by parental, marital, educational status, region of residence, or timeof diagnosis; there was only a significant difference based on income level and age.CONCLUSIONParents responding in a self-report on the causal representations subscale suggested that most risk factors involved more fatalistic views, which were due to societal differences. This is important for clinicians, who plan and implement education and treatment, to better understand parents’ perceptionsregarding cancer. Our findings highlight the need for more attention to these cultural matters in cancercare.

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