The Attitude of those Around Oncological Children and their Parents, as a Result of Cultural Settings

The article provides the results of a survey of parents of cancer patients. During the year, 200 parents were interviewed: 190 mothers and 10 fathers. Parents answered the question: how did the attitude of others around them changed after the oncology of the child? Among the interviewed mothers - 30% answered that an atmosphere of alienation, negative or indifferent attitude from the nearest environment - mother-in-law, husbands, relatives, colleagues, friends was created around them; the men answered that they were sympathetic. In Almaty/Kazakhstan, the alienation is less pronounced, in regions - especially the "southern ones" - to a greater extent. The mother-in-law most often accuse the daughter-in-law of having an oncological disease in the child - her son is healthy, therefore, the grandson / granddaughter must meet the expectations and "must" be healthy, and mother-in-law express wishes that the oncological child does not return home until complete recovery. Some husbands believe that wives in the hospital rest, they are not even afraid of the fact of hair loss in children.The attitude of alienation/rejection of families is exacerbated by the high level of stigmatization [1] of cancer, associated with the myth that cancer is contagious and poses a threat to others. I has found out that the parents of cancer patients are not "free" from cultural attitudes. They have faced the tactics of avoiding sickness/rejection of patients, as one of the drawbacks of collectivism [2].

1. Goffman - Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. N.Y.: Prentice-Hall, 1963.
2. Druzhinin V.N. - Psychology: A Textbook for Humanitarian Institutions, Publishing House "Peter", 2009, p.652 (534).