Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  When a mother has cancer: Strains and resources of affected families from the mother's 
and father's perspective - A qualitative study  
 
Version: 1 Date: 18 Jan 2018 
 
Reviewer:  Paula  Rauch  
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
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I was excited to read this paper.  It is a descriptive account of the challenges experienced by 
parents, but I don't think that the themes presented represent new information in this field, nor 
did the authors explain adequately their int erview methods.  There was potential for new 
information in the description of the interviews with fathers as there is less written about the 
experiences of healthy fathers. Unfortunately, some interviews were done with the parents 
together and others with  the father alone. This is a significant confounding variable not 
addressed.  If the mother is present, the father may not be as open about the stresses he 
experiences and the concerns of each parent is likely influenced by the responses of the other 
paren t. 
 
The assumptions the authors made in relation to the themes in the discussion and conclusion 
section were not well supported.  
 
I suspect that the authors have a rich set of interviews and would recommend that they get 
additional guidance on the informatio n in the interviews to see if they might be able to provide 
new insights if the data were examined differently. In particular, I think the experiences of 
healthy fathers would be a welcome addition to the literature if the number of parents studied 
was gre ater.  Another potential area of interest would be comparing the assessments of each 
parent for similarities and differences, but again this would need to be parents interviewed 
separately and a larger number of parents.  
 
I appreciate the authors interest in this important area of study.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
Quality of wri tten English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
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1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain o r lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
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below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
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