When a parent has cancer: challenges to patients, their families and health providers

Abstract

At least 14% of cancer patients live with minor children. Being a parent with cancer has far-reaching consequences for individual treatment decision-making and quality of life in patients and their families. Even though the majority of children and adolescents do not show clinically relevant symptoms of psychopathology, worries about the survival of the parent and the future development of the family are present, and experienced as distressing, in most children. Open communication by parents and clinicians has been found to be of major importance for children and adolescents in adjusting to parental cancer. Support for parents with cancer on relevant parenting issues, starting in the diagnostic phase, should be acknowledged as an important facet of cancer care to reduce the psychosocial burden for cancer patients and their families.

The well-being of children impacted by a parent with cancer: an integrative review

“…Further complicating this was that parents received little guidance from health professionals in regard to communication [1,16] and support [34,55,59]. Such support from health professionals would likely assist parents in identifying and acknowledging their children's distress [4,7,17,18,24,26,29,30,58]. Evidently, knowledge regarding how to best support parents with cancer and their children is available.…”

“…This was more noticeable among fathers [24,58], which is reiterated in a 2007 [4] and 2012 review [7]. Adults bereaved by a parent's cancer and suicide reported normal or high levels of social competence and normal or low levels of behavioral problems in their children [17], whereas the children in both groups reported high levels of depression [17].…”

“…Previous research has indicated that children of cancer sufferers are distressed [4][5][6][7]. Their distress is likely due to their vulnerability and reliance on positive family functioning [8,9] and concerns about the parent's survival and the family's future [7].…”

“…Their distress is likely due to their vulnerability and reliance on positive family functioning [8,9] and concerns about the parent's survival and the family's future [7]. Distress can lead to emotional and psychosocial problems [6], such as problematic internalization (e.g., depressive mood states) or externalization (e.g., aggression, delinquency) of behavior [9,10].…”

Diversity in Unity: Perspectives from Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

“…In accordance with Krauel et al (2012), many quantitative studies of children with a parent diagnosed with cancer focus on family functioning and psychosocial functioning in children compared to studies that specifically measure the problem or behavioural changes that occur in children. Therefore, this research examined whether self-efficacy can influence health behaviours in young adults with a mother diagnosed with breast cancer.…”