Table 2.

Coding categories of the semi-structured interviews to the family and the children.

Sample group	Higher-level categories	Lower-level categories
A. Mothers	Emotions	1.1 Fear 1.2 Anger 1.3 Sadness 1.4 Frustration/Impotence 1.5 Anxiety 1.6 Guilt
	Communication of the illness to the child	2.1 Forthright information 2.2 Nuanced/distorted information 2.3 No information at all
B. Oncological children group	Emotions	1.1 Fear 1.2 Anger 1.3 Sadness 1.5 Pain 1.6 Boredom 1.7 Loneliness 1.8 Happiness
	Factors related to negative emotions during hospitalization	2.1 Physical effects (pain, queasiness, hair loss) 2.2 Absence of family 2.3 Not attending school 2.4 Lack of social relationships 2.5 Negative thoughts 2.6 Hospital environment 2.7 No answer
	Activities that improve the emotional state	3.1 Playing games 3.2 Family visits 3.3 Social relationships 3.4 Be able to adapt to the hospital environment 3.5 Attending the hospital school
	Communication about their feelings	4.1 Yes: need to communicate 4.1.1 Family members 4.1.2 Friends 4.1.3 Medical staff 4.1.4 Psychologists 4.1.5 Other oncological children 4.2 No need to communicate

All the emotions mentioned by mothers and children have been listed. As can be seen, mothers and children only coincided in three of these emotions: fear, anger, and sadness.