Gender differences in the psychosocial experience of parents of children with cancer: a review of the literature

Clarke, Naomi E.; McCarthy, Maria; Downie, Peter; Ashley, David M.; Anderson, Vicki

doi:10.1002/pon.1515

Cited by 88 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…The same holds true for fathers at the first assessments; however, five years after end of treatment not all fathers who reported a need to talk to partners reported having had such an opportunity. These results agree with findings showing that mothers of children diagnosed with cancer receive more social support from their family and extended networks than fathers [17]. The gender difference appears to need particular attention after end of treatment as no gender differences were found in our previous report of parental support needs during the child's treatment [7].…”

Section: Psychologistssupporting

confidence: 90%

Perceptions of support among Swedish parents of children after end of successful cancer treatment: a prospective, longitudinal study

et al. 2017

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Section: Psychologistssupporting

confidence: 90%

Perceptions of support among Swedish parents of children after end of successful cancer treatment: a prospective, longitudinal study

et al. 2017

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“…The non-significant gender differences in this study are of interest since previous studies with shorter follow-up periods have reported differences between mothers and fathers [6][7][8]. With a long-term perspective applied, no such differences were observed.…”

Section: Interpretation Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 47%

“…A substantial number of parents of children diagnosed with cancer experience significant occupational and financial consequences including employment and income loss, affected work ability, reduced work hours, and sick leave, both during and after treatment completion [3,4]. The impact on parental income, employment and sick leave is greatest during treatment and the effect on employment and earnings is greater among mothers than fathers [3,[5][6][7][8]. There is a lack of longitudinal studies with long-term follow-up on the impact of childhood cancer on parents' work situation.…”

Section: Original Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Parents of children diagnosed with cancer: work situation and sick leave, a five-year post end-of-treatment or a child’s death follow-up study

et al. 2016

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Background: Cancer in a child is associated with a significant impact on parental employment. We assessed the proportions of parents of survivors and bereaved parents working and reporting sick leave five years after end of successful treatment (ST)/child's death (T7) compared with one year after end of ST/child's death (T6) and the association between partial post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and work situation and sick leave at T7. Participants and procedure: The sample included 152 parents of survivors (77 mothers, 75 fathers) and 42 bereaved parents (22 mothers, 20 fathers) of children diagnosed with cancer in Sweden. Results: The proportions of parents working or reporting sick leave did not differ among mothers and fathers of survivors (92% vs. 96% working, 20% vs. 18% on sick leave) or among bereaved mothers and fathers (91% vs. 90% working, 14% vs. 20% on sick leave) at T7. There was no change from T6 to T7 in the proportion of fathers working (fathers of survivors 91% vs. 96%, bereaved fathers 95% vs. 90%). Although more mothers of survivors (92% vs. 82%) and bereaved mothers (91% vs. 77%) worked at T7 than at T6, this increase was not significant. Fewer bereaved mothers reported sick leave at T7 than at T6 (14% vs. 59%, p < 0.05). Although more fathers reported sick leave at T7 than at T6 (fathers of survivors 18% vs. 8%, bereaved fathers 20% vs. 15%), this was not significant. Partial PTSD was not associated with parents' work situation or sick leave at T7. Conclusion: Results suggest little adverse effect on work situation and sick leave among parents of survivors and bereaved parents five years after end of ST/child's death from cancer. However, the pattern of change observed differed between parents, which could potentially indicate possible delayed consequences for fathers not captured in the present paper.

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“…3 Little is known regarding psychological distress for parents, particularly for fathers, whose children undergo SCT. [4][5][6][7] A small cross-sectional study suggested that mothers of children who undergo SCT experience greater distress than fathers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These measures were used successfully in our previous work with this population and with parents of children with cancer. 13,22 Guided by the multivariable model for the impact of chronic illness in the family we adapted in our previous work [22][23][24] and current empirical evidence with parents facing pediatric cancer and SCT, 3,7,13,22 we also examined the association between parental psychological distress and parental age; disease (diagnosis) and treatment variables (radiation history), and child's age, health status and behavior. Again, based on previous reports on mothers facing childhood cancer, 12,13,18,19,21 we hypothesized that (a) psychological distress will decrease over time for both mothers and fathers; (b) mothers will report more distress than fathers; (c) younger parents will report greater distress, and given that mothers are typically the primary caregiver; (d) child's disease, treatment, health status and behavior will have greater impact on maternal than paternal outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in mothers’ and fathers’ psychological distress after pediatric SCT: a longitudinal study

Barrera

Atenafu

Doyle

et al. 2011

Bone Marrow Transplant

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The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinally psychological distress and its correlates in mothers and fathers of children who undergo SCT, up to 2 years post SCT. A total of 111 parents of patients diagnosed mainly with leukemia completed standardized measures of depression and anxiety symptoms as indicators of psychological distress, 85 at 1 year pre-SCT and 81 at 2 years post SCT. Parents' age and gender, child's age, diagnosis, radiation history, behavior and physical health were examined as potential related factors. Linear mixed models for repeated measures with appropriate covariance structure were used in the analysis. Depression and anxiety scores significantly decreased by 2 years for mothers and fathers. Mothers reported significantly more depression symptoms than did fathers, but reported comparable symptoms of anxiety. Pre-SCT depression and anxiety scores, mother's age (younger), child's behavior problems, radiation history and diagnosis of neuroblastoma predicted maternal distress 2 years post SCT; pre-SCT depression and anxiety scores, father's age (older) and child's diagnosis predicted father's distress. This study highlights differences and similarities in mothers' and fathers' psychological distress and identifies related risk factors. The results can guide interventions for mothers and fathers whose children undergo SCT based on their pre-SCT psychosocial risk.

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Gender differences in the psychosocial experience of parents of children with cancer: a review of the literature

Abstract: Further studies using longitudinal designs with solid theoretical groundings will provide valuable information on the unique psychosocial experiences of mothers and fathers throughout the child's illness, which may in turn guide the development of evidence-based interventions.

Cited by 88 publications

References 70 publications

Perceptions of support among Swedish parents of children after end of successful cancer treatment: a prospective, longitudinal study

Perceptions of support among Swedish parents of children after end of successful cancer treatment: a prospective, longitudinal study

Parents of children diagnosed with cancer: work situation and sick leave, a five-year post end-of-treatment or a child’s death follow-up study

Differences in mothers’ and fathers’ psychological distress after pediatric SCT: a longitudinal study

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