“It has been a good growing experience for me”: Growth experiences among African American youth coping with parental cancer.

Abstract

This qualitative focus group study describes posttraumatic growth experiences of African American adolescents currently coping with parental breast cancer. Twelve adolescents participated in three focus groups assessing their experiences with parental cancer. Spontaneous accounts of posttraumatic growth were reported by all participants. A content analysis revealed reports in four of the five domains of posttraumatic growth identified by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996) which included: greater appreciation for life, enhanced interpersonal relationships, increased sense of personal strengths, and changed priorities. An additional domain, change in health behaviors and attitudes, also emerged. These findings add important knowledge to the developing field of research in posttraumatic growth in populations where available research is scarce, especially among adolescents and racial minorities.

Parental cancer: Health‐related quality of life and current psychosocial support needs of cancer survivors and their children

“…This finding is supported by studies indicating that the majority of children derived both negative changes and benefits from the experience of parental cancer . A qualitative study with adolescents currently experiencing parental breast cancer confirms the finding that children not only adjust back to baseline functioning (resilience) but report PTG, such as greater appreciation for life and a sense of increased personal strength …”

“…31,32 A qualitative study with adolescents currently experiencing parental breast cancer confirms the finding that children not only adjust back to baseline functioning (resilience) but report PTG, such as greater appreciation for life and a sense of increased personal strength. 33 However, a minority of children becomes highly distressed and develops psychosocial problems 7,34,35 and must be identified by health care professionals. In our study, children with a current support need (13%) and/or those whose parents still perceived them as distressed (11%) showed lower HRQL compared to the norm.…”

Supporting children facing a parent's cancer diagnosis: a systematic review of children's psychosocial needs and existing interventions

“…Recent studies have also indicated the potential for post‐traumatic growth in this population (Kissil et al . ). Factors which have been found to mediate adjustment have included child age and gender, parents mental health status and capacity to cope with their own or their partners illness, and aspects of family functioning such as parent‐child communication (Su & Ryan‐Wenger ; Visser et al .…”

Adding Trauma-Informed Care at a Bereavement Camp to Facilitate Posttraumatic Growth: A Controlled Outcome Study

“…In the wake of disaster, there are countless adverse effects, but burgeoning literature in the last two decades has identified the many positive changes associated with posttraumatic growth (Kissil, Nino, Jacobs, Davey, & Tubbs, 2010;Levine et al, 2009;Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). These changes come in many forms, but tend to fall into a few main categories: changed self-perceptions, a different perspective on one's relationships, a changed philosophy of life, and a deepening of one's spiritual and existential being .…”