Parenting a child with cancer creates numerous additional care demands that may lead to increased difficulties in balancing work and family responsibilities. Still, there is limited knowledge of how parents cope with both parenthood and paid work after a child’s cancer diagnosis. The aim of the study was to explore mothers’ and fathers’ experiences of balancing the dual roles of work and parenthood following a child’s cancer diagnosis. Nine focus groups with in total 32 parents of children with cancer in Sweden were conducted. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three categories were identified: Shifts in the importance of the parent role and the work role, Influence of context and conditions on the balance of roles, and Long-term unbalance of roles. Parents expressed an increased appreciation of time spent with family, but also emphasized the importance of work to counterbalance the sometimes overwhelming parenting demands. The pre-existing financial situation, work situation, and employer behaviour were important factors influencing the parents’ ability to balance work and family. Traditional gender roles influenced how couples divided responsibilities and reflected on their experiences. Mothers and fathers were also met with different expectations, which highlights the need for the healthcare to consider their communication with caregivers. Importantly, the parents expressed how the child’s illness affected their ability to balance work and family for a long time, while the understanding and support from others had steadily declined. Enabling parents to care for their ill child without sacrificing their own career is of utmost importance, and future research should focus on identifying which factors facilitate for parents to achieve a sustainable work-life balance.

养育患有癌症的孩子会产生许多额外的护理需求，这可能导致在平衡工作和家庭责任方面更加困难。尽管如此，在孩子被诊断出癌症后，父母如何应对父母身份和有偿工作的知识仍然有限。该研究的目的是探索母亲和父亲在孩子被诊断出癌症后平衡工作和为人父母的双重角色的经验。在瑞典开展了九个焦点小组，共有 32 名瑞典癌症儿童的父母。使用定性内容分析对数据进行分析。确定了三类：父母角色和工作角色重要性的转变、背景和条件对角色平衡的影响以及角色的长期不平衡。父母对与家人共度的时间表示越来越感激，但也强调了工作的重要性，以抵消有时压倒性的育儿需求。先前存在的财务状况、工作状况和雇主行为是影响父母平衡工作和家庭能力的重要因素。传统的性别角色影响了夫妻如何分担责任和反思他们的经历。母亲和父亲也得到了不同的期望，这突显了医疗保健需要考虑他们与照顾者的沟通。重要的是，家长们表达了孩子的疾病如何长期影响他们平衡工作和家庭的能力，而其他人的理解和支持却在稳步下降。让父母在不牺牲自己的事业的情况下照顾生病的孩子是最重要的，