Social support and siblings of children with cancer: A scoping review

Abstract

Objective Social support is essential in healthy adjustment to life stressors. This scoping review examines how social support has been conceptualized, operationalized, and studied among siblings of children with cancer. Gaps in the current literature are identified, and future research directions are proposed. Methods A rigorous systematic scoping review framework guided our process. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched for literature regarding social support and siblings of children with cancer. After screening, 57 articles were identified (n = 26 quantitative, n = 21 qualitative, and n = 10 multi‐method) and their content extracted for summarization. Results The majority of studies (n = 43, 75.4%) were descriptive; 14 (24.6%) included interventions, and of those, four were experimental. Few studies used a clearly defined theoretical framework, or validated tools to measure social support. Studies explored perceived social support needs of siblings, the provision and availability of formal support through interventions and related outcomes, and informal family social supports. A variety of support types were found to be helpful to siblings in different ways. Conclusions Social support is a prevalent topic in the literature regarding siblings of children with cancer. It is unclear what types of support are most important due to how it has been conceptualized and measured. Despite some methodological limitations, greater levels of social support have been linked to better adaptation among siblings of children with cancer. Future work is warranted to identify the most beneficial types of support for siblings based on their age, developmental stage, and the cancer trajectory.

[Retracted] Analysis of the Correlation between the Level of Posttraumatic Growth and Social Support among Caregivers of Children with Acute Leukemia

“…Although caregivers of hospitalized acute leukemia patients experience negative effects such as financial burden and anxiety and depression during the process of caregiving, caregivers also perceive a sense of illness benefit and growth, such as learning to accept reality, appreciate the meaning of life, cherish the present moment, and have confidence and hope, increased ability to actively learn and caregiving, perceived multiple support from family, friends, and healthcare providers, and health-related cognitive behaviors. e perception of health-related cognitive behaviors improves [13]. Among the three dimensions of the BFS-C scale, the highest score for the personal growth dimension may be related to the following two factors e highest scores on the personal growth dimension of the BFS-C scale may be related to the fact that caregivers are able to self-regulate their negative emotions and have improved self-control; the overall psychological and spiritual growth of the caregiver as the caregiving time increases, as well as the acquisition of knowledge about the disease and caregiving skills.…”

“…Acute leukemia is a global problem, and according to the International Agency for Acute Leukemia Research (IARC), 22.2 million people are expected to suffer from acute leukemia by 2030 [13].…”

The Social Networks and Social Support of Siblings of Children with Cancer

“…Few studies have examined siblings’ perspectives of their social support or associations between support and adjustment [ 14 , 15 ]. A recent scoping review suggested that social support is indeed helpful to siblings; however, the most important sources and types of helpful support for siblings of children with cancer remain unclear [ 16 ].…”

Unfulfilled psychosocial needs of the adolescent siblings of patients with cancer and the identification of the related factors

“…Compared with younger siblings, adolescent siblings may be particularly impacted by these changes resulting in physical, financial, social strains ( Ward et al, 2014 ). The reduced attention they receive from parents and extended family members may result in these adolescent siblings feeling jealous and angry, and needing to compete with their ill sibling ( Prchal and Landolt, 2012 ; McDonald et al, 2015 ; Yang et al, 2016 ; Cheung et al, 2020 ; Wawrzynski et al, 2021 ). These siblings often complain of their parents’ lack of time for them and often experience negative feelings and impaired quality of life ( Cheung et al, 2020 ; Pariseau et al, 2020 ; Wawrzynski et al, 2021 ).…”