Psychological stages of terminal illness in children

• Main Authors: Henson, Alessandra Bianca, Meer, Jennifer Anne P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1996
• Subjects: Terminally ill children—Psychology; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/4112
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study looked into the psychological stages of terminal illness in children, their perception of the support given to them and their experiences in general. The research design utilized was that exploratory where six terminally-ill children where in-depthly interviewed. All the children who participated were part of the Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko Foundation and were all diagnosed as having Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. All the subjects were drawn purposively. Semi-structured interview guides were constructed to aid the researchers in gathering relevant data from the children and their significant others. The results showed that these six children undergo four stages in their terminal illness. These stages are, stage one: uncertainty and discomfort, stage two: fear and confusion, stage three: acceptance, stage four: hopefulness. It was seen that as the child reaches the fourth stage that several factors may affect him to regress to a previous stage. These stages were seen to have followed a cyclical pattern which was dependent of the course of the illness, the support systems, and experiences. It was also seen that terminally-ill children receive much support from their family members, doctor/medical personnel. Terminally-ill children need a lot of understanding, love, and open communication aside from all their medical needs.