Exploring Sleep-Wake Experiences of Mothers During Maintenance Therapy for Their Child's Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 1

A qualitative study was designed to explore sleep-wake experience of mothers of children in maintenance treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Interviews were conducted with 20 participants using open-ended, semi-structured questions and were transcribed verbatim. Two main themes emerged: “It's a whole new cancer world” and “I don't remember what it's like to have sleep.” Mothers experience difficulty sleeping during their children's treatment, and expressed several serious issues. Although the mothers were able to employ various mechanisms to address sleep deprivation and disruption, interventions such as social support, journaling, spiritual guidance, and/or self-talk may be most beneficial.