Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if acculturation affects the likelihood that Latino parents make use of support services for their sick child and their family during the treatment of childhood cancer. A quantitative mix-methods design was used in this study: qualitative content analysis interview and a quantitative survey research design. A purposive sampling method of 10 Latino parents of pediatric oncology patients participated in this study. Parents with a low level acculturation are more likely to hesitate or not to utilize supportive services for their family or sick child. Respondents, despite their high or low acculturation, revealed commonalities among the reason preventing them from utilizing support services. Language barriers, migratory status, and a strong work ethic—not wanting to accept "hand-outs"—were found to play a prominent role in delaying or preventing parents from using supportive services for their families and for themselves. Implications for social work practice relative to this study are explored. The need for future research is also discussed.