Abstract
Objective: A childhood cancer diagnosis is a traumatic experience for patients and
their families. However, little is known about the effect on grandparents. We aimed
to investigate the negative psychosocial impact, coping strategies, and positive
outcomes of grandparents of childhood cancer patients in Switzerland.
Methods: We collected data using a semi‐structured interview guide and applied
qualitative content analysis.
Results: We conducted 20 interviews with 23 grandparents (57% female; mean
age = 66.9 years; SD = 6.4; range = 57.0–82.4) of 13 affected children (69% female;
mean age = 7.5 years; SD = 6.1; range = 1.0–18.9) between January 2022 and April
2023. The mean time since diagnosis was 1.0 years (SD = 0.5; range = 0.4–1.9).
Grandparents were in shock and experienced strong feelings of fear and helplessness.
They were particularly afraid of a relapse or late effects. The worst part for
most was seeing their grandchild suffer. Many stated that their fear was always
present which could lead to tension and sleep problems. To cope with these negative
experiences, the grandparents used internal and external strategies, such as
accepting the illness or talking to their spouse and friends. Some grandparents also reported positive outcomes, such as getting emotionally closer to family members
and appreciating things that had previously been taken for granted.
Conclusions: Grandparents suffer greatly when their grandchild is diagnosed with
cancer. Encouragingly, most grandparents also reported coping strategies and
positive outcomes despite the challenges. Promoting coping strategies and providing
appropriate resources could reduce the psychological burden of grandparents and
strengthen the whole family system.