Play and mothers’ relationships with their young children in the context of maternal breast cancer

By Dr Rosa Román-Oyola and Prof Anita Bundy

Approximately, 20.5% of newly diagnosed cancer patients fall within typical child-rearing ages; 30.5% live with children 6 years old or younger; and, on average, 78.9% live with one or two children (estimates based on latest know approximation). Cancer entails physical and emotional challenges that affect daily activities, including those associated with the maternal role. We are particularly interested in the emotional challenges faced by these women, such as: concerns about the ways in which family dynamics will be affected and how cyclical treatments and periodic checkups could compromise the relationship with their young children.

Play interactions can be powerful in developing and enhancing relationships between parents and their children. Thus, play benefits parents as well as children. However, evidence about the benefits that an adult can get from playing with her child is limited. While there is some research about the benefits of play for parents of children with special needs (e.g., improved emotional well-being, parental self-efficacy, and parent-child engagement), benefits of play for parents with cancer have not been similarly explored. This gap led us to explore play experiences of mothers diagnosed with cancer and their young children.

We interviewed mothers who were breast cancer survivors and had children between two years and a half and seven years at the time of their treatment. Mothers shared narratives about the challenges that the diagnosis meant for them as mothers and for their physical and emotional health. They were emphatic in stating that having young children was a source of motivation, a reason “not to stay in bed”. Additionally, mothers talked about modifying activities in ways that made play possible. Play dough, puzzles, fingerpaint, and board games replaced chasing, hide and seek, outings to the park or even to the backyard. In their narratives, the mothers described play as an important means to share with and relate to their children. Their narratives reflected how interactions during play with their children shaped their mood and sense of wellbeing. They described playing with their children as: providing opportunities “to bond…because it’s one-on-one time with your child”; a way of “forgetting everything and relaxing”; and “a boost to health”.

Our main contribution through this study is providing exploratory evidence to support the value of play with their young children for mothers experiencing cancer. This is of particular significance for professionals and researchers working with families undergoing treatment for cancer, especially since current interventions supporting children living with parents who have cancer have failed to consider play as a relevant and necessary component of treatment. Instead, such interventions consist mainly of psychoeducational groups, written information, and art interventions. Certainly, there is still much to be done and we look forward to continuing exploring play and its benefits in the context of mothers with cancer and their young children (see https://escala-ajugar.org/ for information about a study currently in progress with Hispanic mothers who are cancer patients).

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Article Details
Play and Mothers’ Relationships With Children in the Context of Breast Cancer
Rosa Román-Oyola, Anita Bundy, Eida Castro, Osiris Castrillo, Karla Yamilette Morel, Amanda Molina-Martínez, Arianna Montes-Burgos, Ashley Rodríguez-Santiago, and Dorayliz Rosado-Torres
First Published May 4, 2022
DOI: 10.1177/15394492221093996
OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health

About the Author

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Dr Rosa Román-Oyola is associate professor of the Occupational Therapy Program, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus. She has worked for 18 years with children with different developmental conditions and their families. Her research focuses include play and adult playfulness within the family context. Her most recent work is related to play experiences between dyads of mothers with cancer and their young children.

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Prof Anita Bundy is Department Head in Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University; she has an honorary appointment at the University of Sydney in Australia. For more than 40 years, Anita has conducted research into children’s play. She has particular interest in play of children and their families in home and community environments.