Research On Place Experience Of Caregivers Of Children With Cancer

With the rising incidence of childhood cancer,the financial burden,psychological stress,and physical health challenges of caregiving for sick children have been extensively studied.At present,the research on place experience and health care practice is still dominated by foreign studies,and few scholars explore the place experience in the caregiving process from a health geography perspective.In this paper,we obtained research data through participant observation and semi-structured interviews,and further explored caregivers' place experiences during the treatment of children with cancer based on their responses.The analysis was conducted in three dimensions: experience of place,experience of social relationships,and experience of subjectivity.The study found that:(1)The experience of place is shaped by the spatial movement process of seeking medical care and the spatial environment.The caregiver's experience of spatial movement to medical facilities can affect their emotions,which in turn affects how they experience the place.The environment and symbolism of formal(hospital)and informal(home and temporary residence)medical facilities affect the caregivers' place experience,making them feel familiar,secure or isolated.(2)In terms of social relationships,the caregiver's social network is closely intertwined with the treatment of the child's illness.The caregiver is responsible for the child's daily life and emotional care,and is learning and growing as well.Positive words and physical gestures from the caredfor child inspire the caregiver to continue caring mentally and emotionally,thus indicating that caregiving is a two-way street.Most caregivers report being supported by their own families,but intergenerational conflict arises when caring with elders.Marital relationships have moved in a good direction or in a bad direction after the significant event of the child's illness.At the same time,medical staff play a direct role in the treatment of the child,and their own authority helps the caregiver intellectually and emotionally,so that the caregiver develops a sense of trust in them.In addition,the social exclusion and discrimination suffered by caregivers and their children in social space expand the vulnerability of this group.(3)In terms of subjectivity,the caregiver's experience and growth gives them a deeper understanding of the meaning of life.Caregivers have passively experienced tremendous mental and emotional changes and multiple psychological journeys.Over time,knowledge of the disease increases and the caregiver begins to accept the event and actively seeks knowledge about caring for the child in order to provide better care for the child.In the later stages,the caregivers themselves become selftranscendent and treat life with more appreciation.The pursuit of external fame,fortune,and material things in life decreases,and more attention is paid to the health and well-being of themselves and their families.In this paper,we focus on caregivers' spatially diverse place experiences in the process of treating their children's diseases,to explore the subjective analysis framework of health and place,establish the evaluation system of local experience from the perspective of caregivers.We also explore how the symbols and physical elements of formal medical places intersect with social discrimination,so as to produce,strengthen and expand the vulnerability of this group,leading to their inequalities access to medical services and social relations.These findings can provide guidelines for the design and human-physical interactions of hospitals,homes,and community and respite sites to improve caregivers' place experiences;and can inform policy makers on how to improve equitable access to treatment for some of society's most vulnerable populations.