Cancer is a disease that can have negative as well as some positive outcomes for the survivor, caregiver, and offspring. To date, there has been little research on the experiences of emerging adult offspring. When these offspring are also university students, they can experience unique challenges. In this phenomenological study, we explored the lived experience of parental cancer among emerging adult university students by interviewing 17 university students and using thematic analysis. The overarching themes were perceptions and beliefs about cancer, the outcomes of having a parent with cancer, influence of parental cancer on life as a university student, coping with having a parent with cancer, and attitudes and experiences around health and personal lifestyle. These results will be particularly useful to practitioners who provide services to university students experiencing parental cancer.
Keywords: behavior change; cancer; lived experience; parental cancer; qualitative.