Tharanni Pathmalingam, a master of arts student in early childhood studies, investigates the disclosure process among children with cancer

Recently I was able to connect with Tharanni Pathmalingam about her master’s research project (MRP) investigating the disclosure processes among children with cancer. She is currently completing a master of arts in early childhood studies at the School of Early Childhood Studies (ECS) at the Faculty of Community Services (FCS).  Once completed, this MRP and other research can be found online as part of the MRP database. In her own words:

What is your research project about? What attracted you to this subject matter?

I was very fortunate to work alongside children and adolescents with cancer throughout my academic and professional career. When I first learned that I would work with this population, I envisioned children who have no hair, a great deal of pallor, and an atmosphere of grief and sadness. However, I became knowledgeable about how skewed my view of children with cancer was through this work. The children I met and interacted with were resilient and demonstrated great strength, bravery and positivity. After this experience, I was determined to uncover the realities of cancer, especially among children and youth. I chose to do this by writing an MRP that aimed to investigate whether and how children disclose their illness to peers at therapeutic camps.

Why did you choose to do this work at the School of Early Childhood Studies?

ECS allowed me to work alongside one of my professors, Fiona Moola. It was indeed an amazing experience because I undertook a secondary analysis approach to analyze interviews that were conducted by Moola and her HEART lab team. This was particularly important in the COVID-19 era, in which the conduct of empirical data collection was very challenging.  As a result, I worked alongside a professor with expertise in children’s health and a passionate team of academics who aim to investigate similar phenomena. All the while, I had the support of my fellow peers and program faculty.

How has COVID-19 affected your research project?

In some ways, I think I gained from working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, as I had more flexibility and time to complete my work. However, there was a tremendous loss in not interacting and exchanging knowledge with my supervisor and colleagues in person. I also did not have the opportunity to explore therapeutic residential camps, a setting of particular interest for my MRP, in person.

What do you see for your future and the impact of your research?

I hope to continue to work with children and families who have disabilities and/or medical needs. Ultimately, I hope to positively impact this population, whether continuing to pursue my MRP purpose or similar research topics or directly working with these families and children.

What have been some highlights of your MRP experience?

The highlight of my MRP is working alongside experts and those who have similar interests. It was also fascinating to become an expert on my own MRP and its purpose. I learned so much about children with cancer and the disclosure process. For example, through my literature review, I found that academics defined more than five different ways in which children disclose their illness. Throughout this journey, I also refined my skills in research by analyzing qualitative data and conducting a narrative review. Furthermore, I am very proud of myself for accomplishing this huge milestone of writing an MRP. It makes me more determined to confront and overcome similar challenges to further develop my professional skills and knowledge.

Graduate Research Series

This past summer graduate students at the Faculty of Community Services (FCS) were invited to tell us about their research projects and graduate studies experience. This story is part of a series of introductory profiles about graduate students, their research and their advice for prospective graduate students. It is our hope you are as inspired by their research efforts and success as we are.  If you would like to submit a story idea for consideration please contact Bonte Minnema at bminnema@torontomu.ca.