Young adults with cancer: the effect of the illness on parents and families

Abstract

This article is based on the findings from a qualitative study involving a collection of narratives written by the parents of young adults with cancer. It examines the effects of the illness on parents and family and illustrates that young people aged 18-25 years face particular difficulties when diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The article focuses on how these difficulties are experienced by the parents of young adults who are attempting to maintain 'normality' and perhaps also manage newly established sexual relationships. The article considers the problems for parents, e.g. the ownership of medical information when the young adult is of age but dependent on his/her parents, the effect on siblings and the financial implications of the illness for the family. A gap in the knowledge of professionals and families relating to these effects may result in families believing that the acute problems they face are caused by their particular family dynamics rather than the life-stage of their young adult children.

Parents’ Experiences of When an Adult Child Is Seriously Ill—“It Does Not Matter That It Is a Grown-Up Person, They Are Still Your Child”

“…Aspects of the parents' experiences can depend on the nature of the relationships between the child and the parent and how the child wanted to involve their parents, described in the literature by others [3,16]. Therefore, these relationships can vary and will have an influence on whether the aging parent can participate and share feelings and thoughts about the situation with the adult child.…”

“…When the adult child moved back to their parents' home they needed more support with their personal needs. Grinyer and Thomas [16] posed that the newfound independence of the adult child was threatened by them having to be dependent on the parents again. For those younger adult children who were cured, there was a phase when they, like they did earlier in the life, moved to an independent life again.…”

Age and attachment style impact stress and depressive symptoms among caregivers: a prospective investigation

“…Thus, younger adult caregivers are more likely to experience greater distress when encountering their new role as a cancer caregiver. While a limited number of studies have reported heightened levels of psychological distress and unique health care needs among young adult cancer patients and survivors [5,21,39,43], inquiries concerning younger cancer caregivers have yet to be reported in the literature.…”

‘A bed in the middle of nowhere’: Parents' meanings of place of death for adults with cystic fibrosis

“…Respondents were offered a choice of face-to-face interview, writing a letter or recording their experiences onto cassette, methods previously used to investigate the effects of illness on parents of young people with cancer (Grinyer & Thomas, 2001). Those writing a letter or making a recording were asked to respond to the questions on the topic guide sent with the invitation letter.…”