Perception of the Adolescent in face of its Condition of Oncological Sickening

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer illness brings a tiresome routine due to aggressive therapies, and changes occur in the adolescent’s life. Objective: Understand the perception of the adolescent in face of its condition of oncological sickening. Method: Exploratory, descriptive, and qualitative research, through the Collective Subject Discourse technique, conducted with 13 adolescents, from June to August 2019, at the Specialized Center for Pediatric Oncology of a university hospital. The individual interviews were recorded based on the following questions: What is it like to be sick to you? What do you think about your future? How do you relate to your family members and the health team? Results: Eight central ideas were identified, among them: being sick is bad because it limits normal life routines; the treatment is painful and changes my body image; being sick has a good side; be healed and resume plans for my life; the hospital and the team are welcoming; proper welcome and empathy are lacking; humanized care; family support. Conclusion: In the adolescent’s perception, illness goes beyond the physical health condition, interferes, and limits theirs and their family quality of life, and therapeutic listening is essential for humanized care.