National qualitative study in France to explore parents' lived experience at the birth of a child with a large or giant congenital melanocytic nevus.

Authors

Camille Lahet, Marie Buzzi, Julie Boulanger, Delphine Fombaron, Laetitia Ricci, Stéphanie Mallet, Olivia Boccara, Hélène Aubert, Anne-Claire Bing-Lecointe, Claire Abasq, Mathilde Tardieu, Juliette Miquel, Christine Chiaverini, Bertille Bonniaud, Domitille Jorand, Nathalie Fajnkuchen, Anne-Claire Bursztejn

Published in

BMJ open. Volume 16. Issue 7. Pages e118101. Jul 08, 2026. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

Congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN) are congenital malformations that cannot be detected by prenatal ultrasounds and may have a significant physical and psychological impact on affected individuals, particularly when they are large. Congenital anomalies are known to impair parental quality of life, which may in turn affect the child's well-being and development. However, little is known about the feelings and lived experience of parents on the birth of a CMN-affected child.The aim of this study is to describe the lived experience of parents of a child with a large or giant CMN, and to document the expressed needs for support (psychological, marital, parenting-related and those evolving along the care pathway) METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a qualitative study in 10 French hospitals, based on semi-structured interviews. Eligible participants will be parents of children under 18 years of age with a large or giant CMN. A maximum variation sampling strategy will be applied to ensure optimal diversity of profiles in terms of children's age, gender and phototype and location and size of the CMN. The target sample size will be determined by theoretical saturation. Data will be analysed using an inductive thematic content analysis approach.
The study has received ethical approval from the Nancy University Hospital (NUH) Ethics Committee (Opinion No. 504) and authorisation from the French Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) (Ref. 2024PI238-614). Non-opposition to participation will be documented in medical records. Findings will be presented at national and European dermatology conferences and published in peer-reviewed international journals.

PMID:
42419891
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.