THE "CLASHES" PARENTS/CAREGIVERS IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY: REACTION CHARACTER OR INSTITUTIONAL VIOLENCE?

In the departments of pediatric oncology, medical teams are accustomed to working closely with parents. Generally this cooperation for a common focus, child care, takes place in a really peaceful, sweet tempered atmosphere, that contrasts with the violence due to cancer. However, occasional tensions can be noticed between medical teams and parents, which can lead to conflicts. These « clashes» are inclined to be suppressed or understood in a psychological way, as emotional reactions. The stress of cancer is always used as the only explanation for the parents breakdown. We propose in this article to question these « clashes » as manifestations of a violence due to institution, as brutalities of care procedure towards parents; basing on the postulate that medical expectations and parental expectations cannot always match perfectly. Possible institutional violence on parents can be better managed if it is identified and analyzed.