الحزن الاستباقي وعلاقته بإرادة المعنى لدى أولياء امور الأطفال المصابين بمرض السرطان

Rp- Anticipatory Grief and Its Relationship to the Meaning Will of Parents of Children Affected by Cancer".pdf

The current research aims to investigate the phenomenon of anticipatory grief among parents of children diagnosed with cancer. Additionally, the study seeks to explore statistically significant differences in anticipatory grief based on gender (males vs. females) and the duration of illness (less than one year vs. more than one year). Furthermore, the research aims to understand the concept of meaning-making among parents of children with cancer and explore statistically significant differences in meaning-making based on gender and duration of illness. The study focuses on parents of children diagnosed with cancer, including both genders (males and females) and varying durations of illness (between 2022 and 2023). The participants were selected using stratified random sampling. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher developed a scale for anticipatory grief based on the Rando model, initially comprising 42 items. After statistical analysis, 14 items were excluded, resulting in a final scale of 28 items. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the dimensions of anticipatory grief were found to be satisfactory, ranging from 0.724 to 0.754.
Additionally, a scale for meaning-making was constructed based on the Frankel model, initially consisting of 21 items. After eliminating 7 items through statistical analysis, the final scale comprised 14 items, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.812. Appropriate statistical methods were employed to analyze the collected data. The results indicated that parents of children with cancer experience anticipatory grief. All dimensions of anticipatory grief, except for psychological and social regulation, were significantly higher than the theoretical mean, suggesting that the participants exhibit psychological and social regulation. Significant gender differences were found in anticipatory grief, favoring males, while no significant differences were observed based on the duration of illness. Furthermore, the study revealed that parents of children with cancer exhibit meaning-making. However, there were no statistically significant differences in meaning-making based on gender or duration of illness. Moreover, a negative correlation was found between anticipatory grief and meaning-making among parents of children with cancer, suggesting that higher levels of anticipatory grief may be associated with lower levels of meaning-making. Based on the results, the researcher provided several recommendations and suggestions. These include designing counseling groups to support parents of children with cancer, establishing a multidisciplinary team to provide training courses on coping with anticipatory grief, providing material and moral support to enhance meaning-making, and conducting informative and educational sessions to raise awareness about cancer and guide parents on communicating about the disease.
Finally, the researcher proposed future studies on anticipatory grief, considering various variables such as psychological resilience, emotional regulation, behavioral coping strategies, and the socio-economic status of parents. Additionally, further investigations on anticipatory grief among parents of children with chronic illnesses were suggested, along with experimental studies to assess the impact of counseling programs in reducing anticipatory grief in this population.