In this study, the first metasynthesis finding related to being distanced from the body.Children and adolescents with cancer experience changes in body image when facing cancer and cancer treatments.The main reason is that they are afraid that their physical changes might attract others’ negative attention and ridicule. Thus, they might withdraw or have self-abasing attitudes. For children with cancer, body image is another very important stressor (McCaffrey, 2006).
Woodgate(2008) found that children and adolescents with cancer experienced
negative body experience and lower self-esteem,especially impacting on their peer relationships and social identity.
Eapen et al. (1999) also found that the self-perception of child oncology patients is characterized by a sense of being socially undesirable.They often view themselves as a burden to others,and wish to change their physical appearance. Strengthening the self-confidence of children and adolescents with cancer is very important, because it can reduce the desire to withdraw
and reduce the development of self-abasing attitudes. Such children need to overcome the predicaments brought by body image changes and think positively about body image changes. Clinicians should be aware that children and adolescents with cancer feel that they are being distanced from the body.
The second metasynthesis findings relate to loss of self-identity. Body image changes occur as a result of the cancer-treatment process.The patients’ interactions with their family members might result in overprotection of the patients,or the patients taking their anger out on family members.
Repeated hospitalization might affect school attendance and