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Prior research suggests that across a wide range of cognitive, educational, and health‐based measures, first‐born children outperform their later‐born peers. Expanding on this literature using naturalistic home‐recorded data and parental vocabulary reports, we find that early language outcomes vary by number of siblings in a sample of 43 English‐learning U.S. children from mid‐to‐high socioeconomic status homes. More specifically, we find that children in our sample with two or more—but not one—older siblings had smaller productive vocabularies at 18 months, and heard less input from caregivers across several measures than their peers with less than two siblings. We discuss implications regarding what infants experience and learn across a range of family sizes in infancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coincidental with the intensified regulatory and industry focus on the design and conduct of human absorption, metabolism, and excretion (hAME) studies in the past 12 months, we have recently completed our 500th cohort involving radiolabeled test item administration to humans. Here, we build upon a recent industry white paper in this journal1 and share some of our own experiences as a Contract Research Organization based upon collaborations with numerous pharma companies and their differing approaches to design and timing, to add further context to the discussion regarding hAME studies and the pivotal role that drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics plays. In this article, we explore how both changing relationships within the industry and shifting regulatory guidelines are impacting strategies, and compare EU and US pre‐study approval requirements, before evaluating the trends from over 500 studies conducted at our global facilities conducted over more than 30 years. We conclude with a review of how improved technical capabilities and strategies are influencing the design and conduct of hAME studies, before speculating on some of the driving factors which may shape the direction they take in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore undergraduate nursing students' understanding of fundamental care and identify educational leadership opportunities to deepen students' understanding of fundamental care concepts. Design: Sequential‐explanatory mixed methods study. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional survey (n = 202) and focus groups (n = 24) to explore undergraduate nursing students' ability to identify fundamental care needs. All data were collected between November 2020 and April 2021. Survey data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and focus group data were thematically analysed. Results: Year One students scored significantly lower in their ability to identify fundamental care needs compared with students in other years, even after controlling for route, gender and age. Post‐degree students scored significantly higher than direct entry or transfer students. Students ≤19 years of age had significantly lower scores compared with students ≥25 years of age. Our focus group findings highlighted that students were often unable to define fundamental care, but they identified learning about various components of fundamental care in a variety of ways. While students understood that fundamental care was required in all settings, they were challenged in providing this care in acute and virtual settings. Students shared several suggestions to support fundamental care skills development across the curriculum. Conclusions: There is a need for a clear definition and description of the fundamentals of care that is used consistently by faculty, students and curriculum documents. It is important to encourage and support educators to share real‐world nursing stories, offer students time to share their personal experiences, develop creative learning opportunities and foster student reflection to deepen students' understanding of the fundamentals of care. Impact Educators need support to meaningfully incorporate fundamentals of care learning opportunities across multiple care settings. Educational leaders can use these findings to develop or adapt their curricula to support fundamental care skill development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Needle thoracostomy (NT) can be a life-saving procedure when used to treat tension pneumothorax. However, there is some question regarding the efficacy of NT in the prehospital setting. Failure to treat tension pneumothorax in a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) setting may prove especially deleterious to the patient due to gas expansion with increasing altitude. This study's objective was to identify the characteristics of patients treated with NT in a Canadian HEMS setting and the factors that may influence outcomes following NT use. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of prehospital records from a Canadian HEMS service. Patients aged 18 years and older who underwent at least one NT attempt using a 14-gauge 8.3 cm needle from 2012 to 2018 were identified. Charts were reviewed to collect demographic data, NT procedural characteristics, vital signs, and clinical response metrics. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the study sample and overall event characteristics. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify variables associated with a clinical response to the initial NT treatment. Results: 163 patients (1.3%) of 12,407 patients attended received NT. A positive clinical response to NT was recorded in 37% (n = 77) of the total events (n = 208), the most common of which was an improvement in blood pressure (BP) (18.8%, n = 39). Initial NT was associated with a low likelihood of clinical improvement in patients presenting with blunt trauma (OR = 0.18; p =.021; 95% CI [.04,.77]), CPR prior to NT (OR = 0.14; p =.02; 95% CI [.03,.73]), or in those who received bilateral NT treatment (OR = 0.13; p <.01; 95% CI [.05,.37]). A pretreatment BP < 90 mmHg was predictive of a positive clinical response to initial NT (OR = 3.33; p =.04; 95% CI [1.09, 10.20]). Conclusions: Only a small portion of patients in the setting of a Canadian HEMS service were treated with NT. Patients most likely to receive NT were males who had suffered blunt trauma. NT may have questionable benefit for patients presenting with blunt trauma, in cardiac arrest, or requiring bilateral NT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This second installment of the Emerging Horizons series explores Harmony's digital storytelling (DST) experience (please see the introductory editorial to the series, Crafting Meaning, Cultivating Understanding, to access the film). In this article I lean on the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur to suggest that 1) the metaphorical possibilities of DST could enable Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors to come to a deeper understanding of their own cancer experiences and 2) the process of "emplotment" in the creation of a digital story has the power to transform the random and coincidental, pre-narrative experience of cancer into a meaningful whole. I conclude by discussing how attaching meaning to, and learning from, an otherwise meaningless cancer experience through the DST process, can help AYA cancer survivors construct their own answer to the "big question" of cancer in young adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This sixth installment of the Emerging Horizons series explores Bethany's digital storytelling (DST) experience (please see the introductory editorial, Crafting Meaning, Cultivating Understanding, to access the documentary film on which the series is based). In the film, Bethany demonstrates how a digital story can become both a signpost and a monument in the life of an Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivor by indicating how they have changed, providing direction for their future selves, and creating a reminder of the meaningful moments that happened along the way. Her experience also reveals how DST can help participants craft a story with many layers of intentional meanings while the plurivocity of word, image and compositional elements of DST enables a profound hermeneutic excess (i.e., x = x+) and ensures that what is contained in a digital story is always more than what was intended by the storyteller. Using the screenwriting framework of the "said, unsaid, and unsayable," and Nicholas Davey's concept of "aquifers of meaning," I (Lang) demonstrate how a digital story artwork can act as an artesian well, providing AYAs and their friends and family an encounter with the "unsayable," by bringing to the surface what has been mute and beyond awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This third installment of the Emerging Horizons series explores Kelsey's digital storytelling (DST) experience (please see the introductory editorial, Crafting Meaning, Cultivating Understanding, to access the documentary film on which the series is based). In addition to providing a compelling exploration of a relatively common occurrence of Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors, delayed diagnosis, Kelsey's involvement in the film illustrated the potential for DST to help participants explore, name, and represent their inner emotional experience. Her storyline illuminated how difficult it can be for AYAs to both understand their "true feelings" and share them with others in a way that moves beyond a surface level, "hashtag" description of emotion (e.g., #sad). I (Lang) conclude by discussing how the three primary modes of narrative engagement in the DST process (external, internal, and reflexive) could help AYAs cultivate a deeper understanding of their emotional cancer experiences, and in doing so, break cancer's grasp on their life, by grasping it instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This first installment of the Emerging Horizons series explores Amanda's digital storytelling (DST) experience (please see the introductory editorial to the series, Crafting Meaning, Cultivating Understanding, to access the film). Although attenuated, Amanda's involvement in the film provides valuable insight into important safeguards that should be in place when using DST in healthcare settings. Using the metaphor of broken bones and open wounds, this interpretive article highlights the importance of recognizing chaos narratives and unstoried emotions in the early stages of the DST process. It concludes with three practical "wound care" measures that can help safeguard participant wellbeing as they find, tell, craft, and share their digital story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This fifth installment of the Emerging Horizons series explores Kenzie's digital storytelling (DST) experience (please see the introductory editorial, Crafting Meaning, Cultivating Understanding, to access the documentary film on which the series is based). Kenzie's storyline revealed how culturally accepted language and metanarratives around health and wellness can create dissonance for Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors as they attempt to share their experiences with others. Alternatively, the genuine conversation inherent in the Story Circle, and throughout the DST process, could promote and stimulate the re-storying of ill-fitting, "hand-me-down" cancer narratives. Specifically, the reflective intensity and co-creative nature of DST could facilitate the discovery of deeper truths, or new truths, in healthcare stories while the narrative structure and creative limitations of a digital story could empower AYAs to craft a closed ending to a perpetually open-ended cancer survivorship experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This seventh and final instalment of the Emerging Horizons series brings all the experiences of the participants in the film together with my own (ML) as the digital storytelling (DST) facilitator to discuss three of the many lessons learned from this research project (please see the introductory editorial to the series, Crafting Meaning, Cultivating Understanding, to access the film). The article summarizes the interpretations of the film in both written and digital story form, explores the value of the "artist of our days" mindset that DST can cultivate in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer surivors, and leans on hermeneutic philosophy to emphasize the importance of conversation when viewing digital stories. I conclude with a personal exhortation to be vigilant in looking for the "setups and payoffs" in my own life so that, as a DST facilitator working in healthcare settings, I can continue to help others story, and re-story, the meaningful moments of their health experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This fourth installment of the Emerging Horizons series explores Derek's digital storytelling (DST) experience (please see the introductory editorial, Crafting Meaning, Cultivating Understanding, to access the documentary film on which the series is based). In contrast to other workshop participants, Derek's primary goal for his digital story was to convey a specific, predetermined meaningful moment from his cancer experience in a more compelling manner. Building from the image system Derek utilized in his digital story, and further contextualizing the events he describes, this interpretive article depicts the unique cancer survivorship experiences of Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors and demonstrates the possibilities of DST to help AYAs release "bottled up" emotions before they become rancid (i.e., release suppressed or repressed emotions before they transform into diagnosed psychosocial comorbidity). Finally, Derek's experience demonstrates how the multi-modal nature of DST can enable AYAs to incite an emotional response from their audience that can in turn confirm and affirm the life lessons embedded in their cancer experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While cure rates in pediatric oncology have improved over the past 30 years, childhood cancer remains the second leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 14. Developing therapies often require using cancerous tissues, which may come from deceased donors. Tumor banks collect, store, and distribute these donated samples. While tumor banking is more common, factors that contribute to parents' decision and the impact of it on the family are not well understood. The purpose of this hermeneutic study was to understand the meaning and impact of tumor banking for parents of children who have died from cancer. Findings suggest that parents donating their child's tumors unexpectedly found a sense of meaning in their loss. They also found a legacy of their child's life; the living cells in some ways assisted the parents with grief. Aspects of this sensitive conversation and decision are discussed from the perspective of the parents' experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal is the property of Pappin Communications and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many research methods emphasize procedures to minimize potential bias introduced by measurement tools, environmental factors, and researchers themselves. Using the example of digital storytelling, in which short films are cocreated between a researcher and participant, we examine the possibility of cocreated stories as data in philosophical hermeneutic (PH) health research. The etymological explication of the words "data" and "story" brings the meaning of these words closer together while an exploration of the ontological and epistemological assumptions of PH indicate that cocreated digital stories can be viewed as data in a similar way to traditional verbatim interview transcripts used in other types of qualitative health research. Using digital storytelling as a data generation tool in PH health research may help provide a deeper understanding of health-related phenomena by cultivating understanding through genuine conversation, addressing the challenges of language, and apprehending the immediacy of understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects on oncology healthcare providers (HCPs), both personally and professionally, of watching digital stories made by adults with cancer (past and present), and what HCPs envisioned for the uses of digital stories. Seven healthcare professionals from various disciplines volunteered for this study. This research took place in a large urban center in Western Canada and was done in the tradition of philosophical hermeneutics. A 90-minute focus group was used for data collection, where participants watched eight digital stories (batched in four groups of two stories) that had been created by individuals with cancer (past or present). Data were analyzed using the interpretive method of hermeneutics. Findings revealed that watching digital stories made by adults with cancer was emotionally compelling, provided context, incited deep introspection, and may offer a protective effect with respect to HCP burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onomatopoeia appear in high quantities in many infants' earliest words, yet there is minimal research in this area. Instead, findings from the wider iconicity literature are generalised to include onomatopoeia, leading to the assumption that their iconic status makes them inherently learnable, thereby prompting their early production. In this review we bring together the literature on onomatopoeia specifically and iconicity more generally to consider infants' acquisition from three perspectives: perception, production, and interaction. We consider these findings in relation to Imai and Kita's (2014) 'sound symbolism bootstrapping hypothesis' to determine whether their framework can account for onomatopoeia alongside other iconic forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric oncology protocols frequently include multiple oral medications administered at varied dosing schedules, often for prolonged periods of time. Nonadherence to protocol-directed oral medications may place patients at increased risk for morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the existing body of evidence to determine best-practice recommendations regarding interventions for oral medication adherence in children and adolescents with cancer. Twenty-four articles were systematically reviewed and evaluated according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria; 2 studies focused on the pediatric oncology population, and the remaining 22 studies focused on other chronic illnesses of childhood. A variety of interventions to increase oral medication adherence in children were identified, including pill swallowing, technology, incentivization, education-based intervention, psychosocial support-based intervention, and combination intervention. Most interventions were shown to have some benefit in pediatrics, most in the non-oncology setting. The overall synthesis of the literature indicates that nonadherence to oral medications is a prevalent problem in pediatrics, and much work is needed to address this problem, particularly in pediatric oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cancer diagnosis heralds the onset of significant life changes. The various experiences of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from cancer during adolescence and young adulthood are complex and disruptive. Emphasis on treatment and recovery often overshadows other social and developmental imperatives for adolescents and young adults. Acknowledging, exploring, and crafting one's own sexual identity is a significant milestone achieved during this time, and it is one that is interrupted by the arrival and treatment of cancer. There is value in understanding how adolescents and young adults compose sexuality amid cancer experiences, and how this composition contributes to their ongoing stream of life experiences after recovery. As part of a larger study of sexuality and adolescent cancer, we undertook a narrative inquiry with Anna and Mark, two young adults who experienced cancer during adolescence. Over 14 months, we met with Anna and Mark, drawing on different narrative inquiry approaches to explore their past and ongoing experiences and to build negotiated stories of those experiences. We explored resonant threads between the stories, which help show the depth and complexity of sexuality as it is experienced in the midst of and after cancer. Two resonant threads are discussed: inward and outward looking, and sexuality and survival. The inquiry reveals the richness of self-composition amid competing stories of cancer treatment, disruptions to family and socialization, survivorship, what it means to be a young man or woman in the world, and the sense of a developing sexual self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onomatopoeia are disproportionately high in number in infants' early words compared to adult language. Studies of infant language perception have proposed an iconic advantage for onomatopoeia, which may make them easier for infants to learn. This study analyses infants' early word production to show a phonological motivation for onomatopoeia in early acquisition. Cross-linguistic evidence from 16 infants demonstrates how these forms fit within a phonologically-systematic developing lexicon. We observe a predominance of consonant harmony and open CV syllables in infants' early words—structures that are typical of onomatopoeia across languages. Infants' acquisition of onomatopoeia is shown to be driven by a preference for structures that are easy to plan and produce. These data present an original perspective on onomatopoeia in early development, highlighting the role of production in language acquisition in general, and onomatopoeic words in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this technological age, storytelling is moving from oral and written to digital formats, creating many methodological opportunities for researchers and practitioners. This article explores a specific genre of participatory media production, digital storytelling (DST), which could be a valuable research tool to describe, analyze, and understand the experiences of research participants. Digital stories (DS) are short movies that use images, videos, a voice-over, and various video editing techniques to share an important story from the participant's life. In a health care setting, DS can be used as knowledge translation tools for education and advocacy, as data to be analyzed in the research process, or as a therapeutic intervention, in any combination, depending on the intent of the project. Although an increasing number of health-related research studies indicate using DST, or some variation of it, there is a glaring paucity of methodologically focused manuscripts in the health care literature. This article delineates and describes four primary phases of DST in a health care context as finding the story, telling the story, crafting the story, and sharing the story. Both the creative and technical considerations of DST facilitation are elucidated through specific examples and practical concepts. By drawing from diverse literature such as narratology, film, and psychotherapy, and exploring new creative tools and ideas to help research participants convey meaning, this article provides a starting point for qualitative researchers to explore the use of DST in their own contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal is the property of Pappin Communications and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Literature examining the effects of mothers' work status on infant language development is mixed, with little focus on varying work schedules and early vocabulary. We use naturalistic data to analyze the productive vocabulary of 44 17‐month‐olds in relation to mothers' work status (full time, part time, stay at home) at 6 and 18 months. Infants who experienced a combination of care from mothers and other caretakers had larger productive vocabularies than infants in solely full‐time maternal or solely other‐caretaker care. Our results draw from naturalistic data to suggest that this care combination may be particularly beneficial for early lexical development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we discuss a study we conducted to examine the effects of cancer on romantic partners (i.e., boyfriends and girlfriends, social/romantic/ intimate partners) of adolescents and young adults experiencing, or who have experienced, cancer. In this hermeneutic study, we interviewed partners who were involved with an adolescent/young adult with cancer, a cancer survivor who was in a relationship during his treatment, and two healthcare professionals who have worked with these couples and witnessed many other situations of impact, effect, and repercussion. Out of this study, we suggest that partners are affected in many ways that can vary from estrangement, to termination of the relationship, to premature decisions about remaining in the relationship, to family disregard of the partner, and to disregard of the family due to influence of, or relationship with, the partner. We discuss these findings within the context of the larger picture of the psychosocial relational impact of cancer on members beyond those in the immediate and biological family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onomatopoeia are frequently identified amongst infants’ earliest words (Menn & Vihman, 2011), yet few authors have considered why this might be, and even fewer have explored this phenomenon empirically. Here we analyze mothers’ production of onomatopoeia in infant-directed speech (IDS) to provide an input-based perspective on these forms. Twelve mothers were recorded interacting with their 8-month-olds; onomatopoeic words (e.g. quack) were compared acoustically with their corresponding conventional words (duck). Onomatopoeia were more salient than conventional words across all features measured: mean pitch, pitch range, word duration, repetition, and pause length. Furthermore, a systematic pattern was observed in the production of onomatopoeia, suggesting a conventionalized approach to mothers’ production of these words in IDS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This qualitative study employed hermeneutic phenomenology and narrative inquiry to examine the topic of sexuality and adolescents with cancer from the perspectives of survivors who had experienced cancer as adolescents. This investigation examined the potentially sensitive, disquieting, and often taboo issue of sexuality in the interest of optimizing wellness in young people, and, ultimately, in the health of adults. Understanding the adolescent body as a sensitive, sexual, and developing self can enrich our understanding of adolescent cancer and promote best health care and practices, examining ways that we might mitigate the long-term effects of arrested or delayed development of sexual identity. In this article, we discuss phase 1 of the study, which used hermeneutics as the method of inquiry. Findings included a general experience of adolescents having a sense of "losing themselves" while at the same time finding themselves in a new light. Other findings include the connection between sexuality, self, and identity; the unique "tribe" of adolescents with cancer; the necessity for sexuality to take a backseat to cancer; the changing mirror images from self and others; sexuality and fertility; and, ultimately, that sexuality is a relational experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this philosophical hermeneutic study was to determine if, and understand how, digital stories might be effective therapeutic tools to use with children and adolescents/young adults (AYA) with cancer, thus helping mitigate suffering. Sixteen participants made digital stories with the help of a research assistant trained in digital storytelling and were interviewed following the completion of their stories. Findings from this research revealed that digital stories were a way to have others understand their experiences of cancer, allowed for further healing from their sometimes traumatic experiences, had unexpected therapeutic effects, and were a way to reconcile past experiences with current life. Digital stories, we conclude, show great promise with the pediatric and AYA oncology community and we believe are a way in which the psychosocial effects of cancer treatment may be addressed. Recommendations for incorporating digital stories into clinical practice and follow-up programs are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this philosophical hermeneutic study was to understand the effects on health care providers (HCPs) of watching digital stories made by (past and present) pediatric and adolescent/young adult (AYA) oncology patients. Twelve HCPs participated in a focus group where they watched digital stories made by pediatric/AYA oncology patients and participated in a discussion related to the impact the stories had on them personally and professionally. Findings from this research revealed that HCPs found digital stories to be powerful, therapeutic, and educational tools. Health care providers described uses for digital stories ranging from education of newly diagnosed families to training of new staff. Digital stories, we conclude, can be an efficient and effective way through which to understand the patient experience, implications from which can range from more efficient patient care delivery to decision making. Recommendations for incorporating digital storytelling into healthcare delivery are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diagnosis of childhood cancer is a life-changing event for the entire family. Parents must not only deal with the cancer diagnosis but also acquire new knowledge and skills to care safely for their child at home. Best practices for delivery of patient/family education after a new diagnosis of childhood cancer are currently unknown. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the existing body of evidence to determine the current state of knowledge regarding the delivery of education to newly diagnosed pediatric oncology patients and families. Eighty-three articles regarding educational methods, content, influencing factors, and interventions for newly diagnosed pediatric patients with cancer or other chronic illnesses were systematically identified, summarized, and appraised according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria. Based on the evidence, 10 recommendations for practice were identified. These recommendations address delivery methods, content, influencing factors, and educational interventions for parents and siblings. Transferring these recommendations into practice may enhance the quality of education delivered by health care providers and received by patients and families following a new diagnosis of childhood cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this philosophical hermeneutic inquiry was to understand the meaning of children’s cancer camps for the child with cancer and the family. Six childhood cancer families and 5 cancer camp counselors were interviewed, in order to bring understanding to this topic. Findings from this research revealed that camp means different things for different families, and that much is at play in the cancer camp experience: the healing and developmental power of play, finding acceptance and fit, grief as something to live with versus “get over,” storytelling as a means of reshaping and understanding traumatic experiences, and the solidarity of the community as one that creates intense, healing bonds. Children’s cancer camps, we conclude, should be considered a necessity, versus a luxury, and could even be thought of as a psychosocial intervention for some children and families. Barriers such as structure of funding and access to resources are present and likely due to the separateness of camps from hospital programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A philosophical hermeneutic study was conducted as part of the first author's doctoral research to understand the meaning of children's cancer camps for the child with cancer and the family. Twenty family members from six families were interviewed in order to bring understanding to this topic. This article will detail the finding related to the experience of grief that often accompanies a cancer diagnosis, and how camp seems to allow children and families to understand their grief differently. The interesting thing about this particular cancer camp is that families of children who have died continue to attend the camp yearly, and there are events to memorialize the many children known to all the campers who no longer attend camp. This is not a grief camp but a cancer camp where grief is allowed presence as it necessarily has to in the world of childhood cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we discuss a qualitative research study that is focused on understanding the meaning, experience, and therapeutic value of digital stories with pediatric oncology patients and families, and with the pediatric oncology health care team. With children, we are interested in understanding the process of creating a digital story; with the families and the health care team, we are interested in understanding what happens to them when they view the digital stories of their children and the patients with whom they work. Ultimately, we wish to determine if, and understand how, digital stories might be effective therapeutic tools to use with children and their families, thus helping to mitigate suffering, and effective tools for the pediatric oncology health care team as a way of providing insight and understanding into patients' and families' unique experiences with childhood cancer. This research will be guided by philosophical hermeneutics, which is defined as the art and practice of interpretation, and is a particularly sophisticated approach to bring to situations where understanding is sought. The study has been approved and funded and we offer the background and design for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses longitudinal diary data from one infant acquiring German to seek a better understanding of the role of onomatopoeia in early language development. Onomatopoeic words (OWs) are traced over time in relation to their corresponding conventional forms (CWs), and an analysis of their phonological transitions is considered in relation to the infant’s wider language development. OWs are found to serve as a bootstrapping mechanism on a lexical as well as a phonological level, and a lexical OW ‘template’ is proposed, which is found to support phonological development throughout the infant’s output. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Childhood cancer is a family affair, and each year in Canada, approximately 1,400 children and adolescents under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer. Innumerable challenges accompany this diagnosis, and in recognition of the stress of childhood cancer, children’s cancer camps arose in the 1970s to help children and their families escape the rigidity and severity of cancer treatment. Very little is known about these cancer camps, and to that end, a philosophical hermeneutic study was conducted to understand the meaning of children’s cancer camps for the child with cancer and the family. Six families were interviewed to bring understanding to this topic. While the research included findings related to the concept of play, fit and acceptance, storytelling, and grief, this paper will detail the finding related to the solidarity of the community—the “camp family”—as one that creates intense, healing bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, the authors examined the experiences of grandparents who have had, or have, a grandchild with childhood cancer. Sixteen grandparents were interviewed using unstructured interviews, and the data were analyzed according to hermeneutic–phenomenological tradition, as guided by the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer. Interpretive findings indicate that grandparents suffer and worry in many complex ways that include a doubled worry for their own children as well as their grandchildren. According to the grandparents in this study, this worry was, at times, silenced in efforts to protect the parents of the grandchild from the burden of concern for the grandparent. Other interpretations include the nature of having one’s universe shaken, of having lives put on hold, and a sense of helplessness. The grandparents in this study offer advice to other grandparents as well as to the health care system regarding what kinds of things might have been more helpful to them as one level of the family system, who, like other subsystems of the family, are also profoundly affected by the event of childhood cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, the authors examined the experiences of grandparents who have had, or have, a grandchild with childhood cancer. Sixteen grandparents were interviewed using unstructured interviews, and the data were analyzed according to a hermeneutic–phenomenological tradition, as guided by the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer. In Part 1 of this report, interpretive findings around worry, burden, silence, the nature of having one’s universe shaken, of having lives put on hold, and a sense of helplessness were addressed. In Part 2, the authors discuss interpretations related to the notions of support, burden, protection, energy, standing by, buffering, financial shouldering, and relationship. The study concludes with implications that the grandparents in the study bring to pediatric nurses in their practices with families in pediatric oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this technological age, storytelling is moving from oral and written to digital formats, creating many methodological opportunities for researchers and practitioners. This article explores a specific genre of participatory media production, digital storytelling (DST), which could be a valuable research tool to describe, analyze, and understand the experiences of research participants. Digital stories (DS) are short movies that use images, videos, a voice-over, and various video editing techniques to share an important story from the participant's life. In a health care setting, DS can be used as knowledge translation tools for education and advocacy, as data to be analyzed in the research process, or as a therapeutic intervention, in any combination, depending on the intent of the project. Although an increasing number of health-related research studies indicate using DST, or some variation of it, there is a glaring paucity of methodologically focused manuscripts in the health care literature. This article delineates and describes four primary phases of DST in a health care context as finding the story, telling the story, crafting the story, and sharing the story. Both the creative and technical considerations of DST facilitation are elucidated through specific examples and practical concepts. By drawing from diverse literature such as narratology, film, and psychotherapy, and exploring new creative tools and ideas to help research participants convey meaning, this article provides a starting point for qualitative researchers to explore the use of DST in their own contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]