The mediating role of caregiver hope in relations among caregivers’ coping and emotional socialization beliefs in pediatric oncology

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify links between caregiver hope, caregiver coping behaviors, and caregivers’ coaching versus dismissing emotion socialization (ES) beliefs in a pediatric cancer sample.

Design

Self-report measures.

Sample

Caregivers (N = 183, 80.20% mothers; 58.5% white; 32.2% Hispanic) of youth undergoing cancer treatment (51.10% hematological malignancy, 15.30% brain or spinal [CNS] tumor, and 25.14% non-CNS solid tumor) for at least six weeks.

Method

We used a series of mediation models to examine links between caregivers’ coping behaviors, hope, and ES beliefs.

Findings

Caregivers’ hope significantly mediated a positive relation between caregivers’ coping and their emotion coaching beliefs, as well as an inverse relation between caregivers’ maladaptive coping and their emotion dismissing beliefs.

Conclusion

Enhancing caregivers’ hope or adaptive coping may support caregivers’ beliefs during the pediatric cancer experience.

Implications for Psychosocial Providers

Our findings support future research to evaluate whether enhancing caregivers’ hope or adaptive coping may help support evidence-based interventions that target ES beliefs and behaviors.

Keywords:

• coping
• emotion socialization
• hope
• oncology
• parent
• pediatric

Disclosure statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethics statement

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.