Kwandong University College of Medicine, Myongji Hospital, Goyang, Korea. childnurse@hanmail.net
Abstract
PURPOSE: The main purpose of this study was to observe the adaptation experience process of adolescents with hematologic malignancies. METHODS: The Grounded Theory Method, developed by Strauss & Corbin (1998), was used in this study. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with 10 adolescents with cancer. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently. Theoretical sampling technique was used until the data reached saturation.
RESULTS: "A deviated life" was verified as the central phenomenon for adolescents with cancer. The adaptation experience process was divided into 3 steps: "Self-confusion", "Reinterpretation", and "Regeneration of self". Through these 3 steps, the adolescents with hematologic malignancies fitted a new life by self-integration. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide a frame for individualized nursing intervention strategies in helping with the psychosocial adaptation of adolescents with hematologic malignancies.