Decision-making Preferences and Its Related Factors on Parents With Children Having Cancer

Primary outcomes

1. Exploring the current state of decision-making preferences among parents of children with cancer using the Control Preferences Scale for Pediatrics (CPS-P)

   Time frame: Single point in time: At enrollment

   The CPS-P is a method for assessing individual preferences in medical decision-making roles, consisting of five options that represent five different roles.(A) I prefer to make the final decision about which treatment my child will receive, (B) I prefer to make the final selection of my child's treatment after seriously considering my doctor's opinion, (C) I prefer that my child's doctor and I share responsibility for deciding which treatment is best for my child, (D) I prefer that my doctor makes the final decision about which treatment will be used, but seriously considers my opinion, (E) I prefer to leave all decisions regarding my child's treatment to my doctor. The five responses are classified into three categories representing active(A and B), collaborative (C) and passive (D and E) decision-making preference.

2. Exploring the current state of family cohesion among parents of children with cancer using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES)

   Time frame: Single point in time: At enrollment

   The evaluation of family functioning involves: (1) Balanced Scales: Cohesion and Flexibility, (2) Unbalanced Scales: Disengaged, Enmeshed, Rigid, and Chaotic, (3) Family Communication, and (4) Family Satisfaction. The instrument consists of eight subscales with a total of 62 items, rated on a five-point Likert scale. The Family Cohesion and Flexibility scales include 42 items (0-42), divided into six sections with scores ranging from 7 to 35 per section. The Family Communication scale, which assesses positive communication and openness, contains 10 items (43-52) with scores ranging from 10 to 50. The Family Satisfaction scale, measuring satisfaction with cohesion, flexibility, and communication, also has 10 items (53-62), scoring from 10 to 50. Higher scores on Cohesion and Flexibility suggest a healthier family system; higher scores on Disengaged, Enmeshed, Rigid, and Chaotic indicate dysfunction; higher scores on Communication and Satisfaction denote more positive perceptions.

3. Exploring the current coping behaviors of parents of children with cancer using the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS)

   Time frame: Single point in time: At enrollment

   The Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS) assesses eight types of coping strategies, which are categorized into emotion-oriented and problem-oriented approaches. The emotion-oriented strategies include: evasive strategies (13 items), optimistic strategies (9 items), fatalistic strategies (4 items), emotive strategies (5 items), and palliative strategies (7 items). The problem-oriented strategies include: confrontive strategies (10 items), supportant strategies (5 items), and self-reliant strategies (7 items). It utilizes a four-point Likert scale, where "0 = never used," "1 = seldom used," "2 = sometimes used," and "3 = often used." Higher scores indicate a higher frequency of coping strategy use.