Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Clin Pediatr. Jun 9, 2026; 15(2): 115750
Published online Jun 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i2.115750
Published online Jun 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i2.115750
Lived experiences of Jordanian mothers of children with cancer: A descriptive qualitative study
Maha Atout, Faculty of Nursing, Nursing School, Philadelphia University, Amman 19392, Jordan
Rasmieh Al-Amer, School of Nursing, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan
Abd Alhadi Hasan, Department of Nursing, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Master Program, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, Fakeeh Care Group, Jeddah 21461, Saudi Arabia
Rabia Allari, Department of Acute and Chronic Care Nursing, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman 19328, Jordan
Author contributions: Atout M conceptualized and designed the study, collected and analyzed data, and drafted the manuscript; Hasan AA contributed to data collection and analysis; Allari R and Al-Amer R contributed to interpretation, writing, and revision of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final version.
Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the Royal Medical Services Hospital, Jordan (Approval No. 10545/8/2018).
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting this study’s findings are not publicly available due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the interviews but may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Maha Atout, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Nursing School, Philadelphia University, Jarash Road, Amman 19392, Jordan.
Received: October 24, 2025
Revised: January 8, 2026
Accepted: February 26, 2026
Published online: June 9, 2026
Processing time: 201 Days and 16.8 Hours
Revised: January 8, 2026
Accepted: February 26, 2026
Published online: June 9, 2026
Processing time: 201 Days and 16.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This qualitative study was a descriptive one that investigated the life experiences of Jordanian mothers with cancer children. Three themes were identified after in-depth interviews, namely transformative coping journey, support systems, and perceived challenges. Mothers coped by switching priorities and keeping emotions under wraps to seem strong and meaning-driven by religious faith in God. The most important part in battling stress was emotional and practical family support, as well as spiritual beliefs. The research indicates the necessity of culturally sensitive psychosocial and educational programs that would help mothers go through the complicated environment of pediatric cancer care in Jordan.