The Impact of Childhood Cancer on the Family

Abstract

Although a number of investigators have begun to examine the effects of childhood cancer on the family, the relationship between family adjustment and long-term psychosocial outcome is not well understood. The present study explored the relationship betwecn various facets of adaptation to cancer and psychosocial outcome variables asscssed in survivorhood. For 7- four children and their parents were asscssed two years after the children had completed treatment. Parental reactions to the child's illness were related to a variety of psychosocial variables. Most important, parental coping was associated with the long-term adjustment of both parents and child. Also, the amount of emotional distress that parents ex erienced was related to their ability to establish and maintain socially supportive ties with other people.