Psychological difficulties, social support and stress management in parents of children with cancer

Despite major advancements in the treatment of cancer in children that have increased significantly the chances of survival for underage patients, cancer remains a crisis situation for the patient and their family alike. The parents are forced to face a whole array of challenges ranging from ensuring permanent care, to invasive, long-term treatment, to dealing with financial problems and psychological issues. According to DSM-IV, cancer diagnosis in is a traumatising experience for a child that tends to result with development of post-traumatic stress symptoms. These and other symptoms of disrupted emotional functioning of a child may, in turn, threaten the parents' ability to adapt to the new situation. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the results of studies related to the psychological difficulties experienced by parents of paediatric cancer patients and the social support they receive as well as the resources they use to cope in difficult situations. Results: A review of literature available on the subject confirmed an increased risk for psychopathology manifesting as depression, fear and trauma in this group of parents. The analysis of results obtained in different studies has demonstrated the level of aggravation of the aforementioned symptoms to depend on a whole number of variables, including the time from the child's diagnosis. As the collected data highlight the importance of received support and the general ability to cope with stress for the emotional functioning of the mother or father in the course of the child's illness, this necessitates important practical measures to be taken, with particular emphasis on planning therapy for this group of parents.