Predictors of Parental Emotional Adjustment to Childhood Cancer (original) (raw)
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Psychological Adjustment of Parents of Children with Different Cancer Prognoses
Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 2021
Little is known about the psychological adjustment of parents of children with cancer relapse or remission. This study investigated differences in the psychological adjustment of caregivers of children with different cancer prognosis, by comparing them with a control group. In total, 183 caregivers participated in this study: those with children in relapse/on treatment (n = 32), remission/off treatment (n = 75), and “healthy” (n = 76). The Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories, the Symptom Check list-90-R, the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire-Reviewed and the Family Environment Scale were analyzed with Variance Analysis, Student’s t-test, Chi-square and Pearson correlations. The results showed that parents of children with cancer relapse presented less psychological adjustment. Furthermore, a protective effect of family cohesion and possible risk factors related to sociodemographic variables were observed. Conclusions highlight the convenience of developing specific interventi...
A prospective study of the psychological adjustment of parents and families of children with cancer
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 1993
This study compared the psychological adjustment of parents and families of children with cancer, with the adjustment of parents and families in the community. In the weeks after their children's diagnoses, the mothers of children with cancer reported significantly more anxiety and insomnia, somatic symptoms and social dysfunction than mothers in the community. These problems had declined by the time of a 1 year follow-up assessment. However, at the follow-up assessment the mothers of children with cancer reported significantly more symptoms of depression and somatic symptoms than mothers in the community. A similar pattern of findings was evident among the fathers although the fathers generally reported less distress than was reported by the mothers. The results also suggest that a year after the children's diagnoses, the families in which there was a child with cancer were functioning less effectively than the families in the community.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 1998
Objective: To examine the relationship between parental adjustment and family adjustment during the period after the children's diagnosis of cancer and the psychological adjustment of children 2 years after their diagnosis. Method: The study used a prospective design. Children aged 2 to 5 years with cancer and their parents and families (n = 38) were assessed immediately after the children's diagnosis and again 2 years after the diagnosis. Path analysis was used to investigate the relationship between parental and family adjustment during the period after diagnosis and the psychological adjustment of the children 2 years after their diagnosis. Results: Maternal adjustment during the period after the children's cancer was diagnosed had a significant relationship with the children's psychological adjustment 2 years after diagnosis. In contrast, the adjustment of fathers and family adjustment appeared to have a more limited impact on the later psychological adjustment of the children. Conclusion: The level of distress experienced by mothers after the children's diagnosis may have an important influence on the later psychological adjustment of the children. It is possible that this is due to the impact of maternal distress on the capacity of mothers to care for their children during the children's treatment for cancer. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatrx 1998, 37(8):815-822.
Adjustment and coping by parents of children with cancer: a review of the literature
Supportive Care in Cancer, 1997
Studies published since about 1980 on psychological adjustment and coping of parents of children with cancer were reviewed. First, results concerning parental adjustment in terms of psychological distress, marital distress, and family functioning were summarized. Secondly, the use of coping strategies such as social support, communication, and search for meaning were described. Thirdly, factors that influence parental adjustment to childhood cancer, such as coping strategies and illness-related and demographic variables were discussed. All studies are summarized in a review table, with information about the number of participating parents and children, the purpose, measures and major results. Difficulties in generalizing findings are possibly due to the heterogeneous group of children with cancer, the differences in reporting emotional problems by mothers and fathers, the difficulties in assessing illness-specific problems, and the diversity in the ways of assessing coping and adjustment.
Anales de Psicología, 2014, vol. 30 (1), 93-103, 2014
Abstract: This article aims at providing a general overview of psychologi-cal interventions intended to promote psychological adjustment of children with cancer and their parents. To achieve this goal, we reviewed published articles between 1998-2010, using a combination of the following key-words: psychosocial intervention, psychotherapy, trial, treatment, adjust-ment, well-being, adaptation, cancer, childhood cancer, pediatric cancer, anxiety and depression in the electronic databases: Psycinfo, Medline, Sci-elo, Lilacs, Psicodoc and Psyarticles. Fourteen articles were found and analyses show that most interventions had some efficacy in the psychologi-cal adjustment of children and their parents; nevertheless, there is a limited number of treatments that can in fact be considered effective. The conven-ience of psychological interventions is discussed and how they must com-prehend strengths and the promotion of psychological health and should not be based solely on deficits and psychopathological models. Possibly, this re-orientation will help fostering significant clinic changes regarding the stress associated to cancer and its treatment. Key words: Psychological adjustment; psychological interventions; child-hood cancer; overview.
The medical context of parental coping with childhood cancer
American Journal of Community Psychology, 1986
This research assessed the extent to which contextual factors, especially the medical context, are related to the use of specific coping strategies by 74 parents of surviving children with cancer. Parents reported that they coped reasonably well by using information-seeking, problem-solving, help-seeking, maintaining emotional balance, relying on religion, being optimistic, denying, and accepting. More highly educated parents tended to use problem solving, optimism, and information seeking significantly more and denial significantly less than less well-educated parents. However, gender and income were unrelated to coping. The use of specific coping strategies was not related to severity of the child's medical condition, stress level or parents" own evaluations of their coping effectiveness. However, the quality of relations with the medical staff was strongly related to coping strategies. Use of passive coping strategies was positively related to good relations with the medical staff.