Family dysfunction predicts emotional problems in kids when a parent has cancer

By Reuters Staff

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children from families that report general dysfunction are at increased risk of experiencing emotional and behavioral problems after learning that a parent has cancer.

"Health care providers should be aware that cancer affects the whole family, and a significant subgroup of children of cancer patients appears to be at risk of psychological morbidity," Dr. Birgit Moller, of University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and University Medical Center Munster in Germany, and colleagues write in Cancer, online June 23.

A press release published with the study points out that roughly 21% of all newly diagnosed cancer patients are between the ages of 25 and 54 years, and many may have children living with them at home. While most children and adolescents cope well with a parent's illness, some can become highly distressed or develop psychosocial issues.

Dr. Moller and colleagues studied factors that may affect a child's adjustment to a parent's cancer diagnosis. They had 235 families including 402 parents and 324 children ages 11 to 21 years complete questionnaires that assess emotional and behavioral health. At least one parent in each family was diagnosed with cancer; most were mothers (74%).

Compared with a representative normal population, children of cancer patients had significantly higher average scores for emotional and behavioral problems on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

From the child's perspective, younger adolescents (11-13 years) had more problems than older adolescents (14-21 years) and daughters experienced more problems than sons.

General family dysfunction was the best predictor of emotional and behavioral problems. "In view of a life-threatening disease in a parent, the level of family functioning predicts children's behavioral and emotional symptoms more than any other tested variable, including illness-related factors," the researchers report.

This finding aligns with findings from previous studies, "which showed that open communication, affective involvement between family members, flexible problem solving and generally positive family functioning predicted less psychological distress in children," they say.

"The results indicate that screening for child mental health problems and family dysfunction in oncological and psychosocial treatment units can identify the families most in need of psychosocial support. Psychological services need to be both family-oriented and child-centered and focus on family dysfunction to prevent mental health problems in children," the authors conclude.

Dr. Moller and colleagues have developed a preventive counseling program called COSIP, short for Children of Somatically Ill Parents, that focuses on family communication, affective involvement of family members, flexible problem solving, mutual support, and parenting issues.

Dr. Moller did not respond to request for comment by press time.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/T3i5gR

Cancer 2014.

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