Time 4 Siblings
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of the experiences of siblings (aged 6-12) when a brother or sister is diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) to inform the development of an intervention
IRAS ID
316998
Contact name
Zoe Polly
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Surrey
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
Background:
Each year 440 children are diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). Better treatments mean that these children are now surviving but this means there can be long treatments in hospital and at home. This not only affects the child with cancer but the whole family. Research has already been undertaken looking at how ALL affects the child with cancer and their parents but there is little research that looks at the experiences of siblings. It is important to know how siblings feel from their point of view so they can then be given the correct support.
Research aim:
This study aims to inform the development of an intervention for siblings (aged 6-12) when their brother or sister has been diagnosed with ALL.Study design:
Case study design will be used with siblings and all the data collected around them forming each case. Recruitment will form 8-10 cases. Siblings will be recruited through Principal Treatment Centres (PTCs) in the South-East of England. PTCs have overall responsibility for the diagnosis, management and treatment of the child or young person with cancer. The Participant Identification Centre (PIC) approach will be used to identify potential participants and direct these families to the researcher. Siblings will be interviewed using a range of arts-based techniques including Lego©, Playdough, arts, and crafts either face-to-face or online. Siblings will be interviewed up to three times at a date/time agreed by the family to see if their experiences or support needs change during the course of their brother or sisters’ cancer treatment. To add strength to the findings, the siblings can invite parents, grandparents, or significant others (such as family friends, a teacher or religious leader) to also be interviewed. The findings from the interviews will be reviewed and contribute to develop an intervention for siblings.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SW/0147
Date of REC Opinion
13 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion