Abstract
Prior clinical research supports the effectiveness of cancer support groups for cancer patients and their families, yet African-American families continue to be underrepresented in cancer support groups and in cancer clinical research studies. In order to fill this gap, we developed and evaluated a culturally adapted family support group for African-American families coping with parental cancer. We encountered unexpected challenges in overcoming barriers to recruitment, partnering with oncology providers, and building trust with the African-American community and African-American families coping with parental cancer. We describe actions taken during the two phases of this study and lessons learned along the way about recruiting and engaging African-American families in cancer support group studies, partnering with oncology providers, networking with the African-American community, and the importance of demonstrating cultural sensitivity to overcome the understandable historical legacy of mistrust.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 744-751 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Cancer Education |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2012 |
Keywords
- African-American families
- Family intervention
- Parental cancer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health