The psychosocial effects of cancer on children and their families.
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Date
2004
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Abstract
Psychosocial oncology is well established in Europe and in America. Similar
initiatives are, however, rare in Africa. On the African continent, psychosocial
services are scarce and often a luxury although the importance of psychosocial
variables as mediators in the paediatric cancer outcomes have been widely
recognised. The apartheid system in South Africa was instrumental in causing
major disparities in health, education and socioeconomic status. In order to
provide a more holistic service it becomes imperative to assess not only the
psychosocial needs and resources of both children and parents who endure the
disease but also the influence of socio-demographic variables such as race,
educational level and socioeconomic status. This research was limited to
collecting baseline information on how parents and children communicate
about the illness, emotional responses and the psychological resources
that they utilise to deal with the childhood cancer trajectory. The study group
consisted of 100 children between the ages of 5 and 16 years who had been
diagnosed with cancer and one or both parents of those children. Data was
collected through semi-structured interviews and standardised self-report
measures. The results of the study indicate that both parents and children did
not suffer disabling psychopathology, but certainly evidenced symptoms of depression
and anxiety indicative of adjustment difficulties. Communicating
about the illness was generally limited to physiological aspects of the disease
and medically related matters, while emotional issues were rarely articulated.
Children, parents and their siblings relied heavily on medical staff for their
information needs. The age of the child was a significant factor with reference
to amount and complexity of information imparted to children: adolescents
were given more information about the treatment and prognosis; while
younger children were given a limited amount of information. Race,
socioeconomic status and educational levels of parents not only influenced
the meanings and beliefs families developed around the cancer experience, but
also the manner in which they expressed their emotions and the coping strategies that they employed.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.
Keywords
Cancer in children., Cancer--Patients., Cancer--Patients--Family relationships., Cancer--Psychological aspects., Cancer--Social aspects., Theses--Behavioural medicine.