Family centred cancer care: Plan, develop and feasibility test an interactive, self-guided digital intervention to support families to communicate with, and involve dependent children when impacted by parental cancer 

Apply and key information

This project is funded by:

Department for the Economy (DfE)
Vice Chancellor's Research Scholarship (VCRS)

Summary

Background

One-in-five people living with cancer are parenting children under eighteen (Weaver et al., 2010). Parents are often unsure how to communicate with, and involve the children in the parental cancer experience (Inhesten et al., 2021; Semple and McCance, 2010); necessitating a need for instructive support and guidance. Digital health is impacting the care experience, with over half of cancer patients exploring apps and websites for information about their illness (Hanai et al., 2020). With the growing emergence of communication technologies, there is a need to develop a digital intervention for parents to access as a self-guided resource, accessible at the point of need, and on demand.

Aim

Design and feasibility test an interactive, self-guided digital intervention to support families impacted by parental cancer.

Objectives:

To identify the challenges and needs of parents and children when a parent has a cancer diagnosis within the literature.

To co-design an interactive, self-guided digital intervention for families impacted by parental cancer, to promote open family-centred communication and help navigate family life.

To investigate the acceptability and feasibility of the interactive, self-guided digital intervention, through an iterative process of testing and refinement.

Methods

The digital intervention will be informed by the ‘Person-based Approach’ (Yardley et al., 2015), involving service-users, researchers and clinicians, as outlined by the eight-step process below.

(1) establish co-design team, to include parents living with cancer who have dependent children and experts from relevant disciplines; (2) systematic review of literature on challenges and needs of parents and children impacted by parental cancer; (3) review of existing parental resources; (4) establish a theoretical framework and develop logic model; (5) design and develop a self-guided prototype; (6) conduct interviews with adults and children as part of user-testing; (7) refinement of digital intervention; (8) develop final intervention and pilot test.

AccessNI clearance required

Please note, the successful candidate will be required to obtain AccessNI clearance prior to registration due to the nature of the project.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

Masters at 65%
Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
Relevant professional qualification and/or a Degree in a Health or Health related area

Equal Opportunities

The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.

Appointment will be made on merit.

Funding and eligibility

This project is funded by:

Department for the Economy (DfE)
Vice Chancellor's Research Scholarship (VCRS)

Our fully funded PhD scholarships will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance allowance of £19,237 (tbc) per annum for three years* (subject to satisfactory academic performance). A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £900 per annum is also available.

These scholarships, funded via the Department for the Economy (DfE) and the Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarships (VCRS), are open to applicants worldwide, regardless of residency or domicile.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

*Part time PhD scholarships may be available, based on 0.5 of the full time rate, and will require a six year registration period (individual project advertisements will note where part time options apply).

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies.