Social Support Perceived by Family and Caregivers of Children with Cancer

Abstract

Social support to caregivers and family members can contribute to the construction of coping strategies in pediatric cancer diagnosis scenarios. To identify the state of the current literature concerning social support perceived by families and caregivers of children with cancer was the aim of this study. This is an integrative literature review performed in the LILACS and PubMed databases. We selected 10 articles that met the following inclusion criteria: academic articles published from 2014 to 2018, in English, Spanish and/or Portuguese, available in full and as open access, and addressing social support to the family and/or caregivers of children with cancer. The content of the selected articles was organized into the themes “Social support from interpersonal relationships” and “Social support from the health network”, which consider social support as a relevant and significant element in coping with the context of the family living the experience of having a child with cancer. The selected studies showed family members, parents of other children experiencing a similar problem, co-workers, as well as teachers and colleagues of other children as important sources of support. The health network was also an essential source of support, in the assistance, information, instruction, emotional and mediation dimensions of the community resource network. Thus, according to this integrative review, caregivers and family can be supported in different ways, both material and immaterial, and by people who belong to the most diverse social roles.

Quality of Life of Families Caring for Preschool Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia undergoing Chemotherapy: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

“…26 The results from another study 26 reported central aspects of FQOL had no mention of social support as external support, but that it had a direct effect on FQOL via family perspective. This finding aligns with another study 27 that indicated that having social support networks from family, friends, and governmental or non-governmental institutions served as a protective factor for families. Similarly, another study 28 stated that social support perceived by family caregivers of children with newly diagnosed cancer influenced their daily life, open communication, and creating a positive environment to care for the child with cancer.…”

The Social Support Networks Scale (SSNS) for Family Caregivers of Children with Cancer: A Psychometric Evaluation

“…These factors can generate adaptive responses in families and in their psychosocial functioning to overcome the psychosocial consequences of caring for children with cancer. Among the protective factors are coping styles [3], resilience [11,12], and, most critically, perceived social support, that is, social support networks through family, friends, neighbors, religion, and governmental and nongovernmental institutions [13].…”