In addition to the medical research ALSF funds, ALSF also supports and funds research projects investigating quality of life issues. High quality care is a powerful tool against childhood cancer. The Quality of Life and Care grants empower those best positioned to make effective discoveries: the caregivers themselves. In our Nursing Grant awards, our grantees include nurse practitioners who are leading the field in pediatric oncology nursing practice, as well as those who will become future leaders. In our Psychosocial Grants, recipients are researchers and practitioners investigating novel approaches to understanding the psychosocial aspects of pediatric cancer that will impact clinical care. Here is one research project happening now conducted by nurse researcher - Dr. Nancy Moules together wtih co-investigators Dr. Andrew Estefan, Dr. Catherine Laing, Dr. Fiona Schulte, Dr. Greg Guilcher and Dr. Doug Strother.

Dr. Nancy Moules, professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary and Kids Cancer Care Foundation Chair in Child and Family Cancer Care, is studying the effects cancer and cancer treatments have on the relational development, sexuality and body image of adolescents. 

Together with her research partner, Dr. Andrew Estefan, Dr. Moules combined two research techniques, hermeneutics and narrative inquiry, to delve deep into the psychosocial effects of a cancer diagnosis. 

Hermeneutics is a methodology of interpretation—participants are interviewed and their interviews are interpreted for what we can learn from their experience. In the narrative inquiry methodology, Dr. Estefan worked with subjects to write their personal narratives—the story of their experience.

One research subject shared his digital story in another study conducted by co-investigator Dr. Catherine Laing about battling cancer and body image, which you can see in the above video. 

Dr. Moules interviewed 10 adolescents, all in various stages of childhood cancer treatment, beginning in January 2014. Dr. Estefan followed with in-depth interviews and narrative development with two of the subjects. 

"We are delighted that ALSF recognized the value and the importance of this kind of study. Using qualitative research helps us to understand the experience of childhood cancer through the eyes of those living it," said Dr. Moules

Adolescence is a time when teenagers are dating, forming relationships and moving psychologically away from their parents. When a cancer diagnosis happens, all of this typical development is still happening, but with cancer as a shadow. 

As Dr. Moules continues to compile and study her over 800 pages of research, she hopes that this research can result in resources for both adolescent patients as well as their nurses and other caregivers.  

ALSF has funded 650 childhood cancer research grants since 2006. Read more about our innovative grants program here.