Mothers of Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Abstract

Numerous studies have examined the psychosocial effects of childhood cancer on teenage and young adult survivors. Yet, there is relatively little research on the consequences of survivorship for the parents of these people. This study explored the realities of life for mothers of survivors of childhood cancer. Data from self-report questionnaires with 167 mothers of survivors and follow-up intensive interviews with 29 of them were analyzed. Findings indicated that mothers' worries were not so much a function of “objective” physical consequences of their child's illness. Instead, their worries were significantly related primarily to their own perceptions of their child's worries and the meanings they attached to their own and their child's cancer experience. The implications of the results for intervention with survivors of childhood cancer and their families include hospital-organized information and education programs; supportive counseling; meetings with other parents; and, for parents whose children have actual limitations, supportive rehabilitation services.

Key Words:

• Childhood cancer
• survivors
• maternal worries
• family processes