Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children of Mothers Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

Abstract

There are inconsistent findings regarding whether a mother's diagnosis of cancer affects her child's psychological health. The aim of this study was to compare maternally perceived symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children of women with and without breast cancer. Forty mothers with breast cancer (assessed within 8 weeks of diagnosis) and 39 mothers without breast cancer were administered the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6-18), UCLA Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Index, and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive discriminant analysis revealed that mothers with cancer perceived their children to have significantly greater symptoms of PTSD and internalizing distress than the mothers without cancer. No significant difference was found in maternal perception of externalizing symptoms in their children. Results revealed the importance of the assessment of PTSD in children whose mothers have cancer and the discussion includes implications for future research and clinical interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• cancer
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• adjustment
• children
• mothers