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Callie Greene

Mrs. Crist

English IV

07 March 2019

Pediatric Cancer Affecting Families

Pediatric cancer is hard to think about, especially when it is your child that has cancer.

Before the age of 20 there are 1 in 285 children that are diagnosed with cancer but there are more

that actually do survive this disease every year in the United States (“US Childhood Cancer

Statistics”). How do families cope with hearing that your child has a disease that may or may not

eventually kill them? This question can not be answered in one word. Every family deals with

news of this kind differently. There are several different factors that can go along with the effects

of children with cancer. Families that have children with cancer are affected emotionally,

financially, and with family relations.

Having a child with cancer can bring on many different challenges within the household,

especially with the parents relationships. Having to hear your child has cancer and coping with

how to be supportive and emotionally strong can take a toll on any relationship. When a parent is

caring for a child with cancer if can affect their life as a couple, therefore having them go

through a temporary adaptation process. Supporting this hypothesis a recent review on parental

distress related to childhood cancer revealed that early and intense negative affectivity as well as

family stressor and family weakness at the the time of diagnosis were among predictor of long

term individual distress in parents (Burns 2). The roles of mothers’ and fathers’ can differ with
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how they react and deal with the situation. The demands that are associated with the child’s

illness and treatment can lead to change in the family’s roles, relationship, and dynamics of their

everyday lives. While they may be faced with the idea of their child’s death, parents have a

difficult time making important decisions on the care and treatment of their ill child. In a sample

of 22 couples, that parent’s effective communication was related to their partner’s perception of

greater social support which led to lower anxiety in mothers (Burns 2). Parents ability to readjust

their roles and decision making will likely influence both their own adjustment as well as their

child’s adjustment.

When caring for a sick child it can impact families financially. Much cost is involved

when your child has doctor visits, multiple tests procedures, treatments, overnight care, etc. This

all adds up and with parents having to accompanying their child on these doctor visits, this

means missed work and loss wages for the parents. A study conducted that showed 34.7% of

working mothers had to take leave of absences from their job or had to quit all together, whereas

the working fathers 1.7% gave up paid employment. Overall, these changes in employment

impacted families negatively on their finances (Eiser 3). The financial burden on these families

have a long term burden. Money worries increase in families after the first few months of the

child diagnosis. Missed work can add up with medical bills rising. Many parents (mainly

mothers) had either given up or reduced outside employment in order to care for their child and

this was associated with further financial problems for 42.7% of families (Eiser 1). Many

families have to use up sick days, vacation days and holidays in order to compensate for caring

for their child. Many families try to apply for financial aid or grants to help with cost.
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When a child is diagnosed with cancer it can be a total and emotional shock. This can

cause a significant amount of stress on a family. There are sudden changes in roles, routines, and

psychological impact between child and parent. The impact on these relationships may vary

slightly but many children with cancer adapt quicker as well as their levels of distress. With

regard to parental distress and its changes over time, multiple studies indicate that parents

experience higher levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSS closer to diagnosis (Yuko 2). The

distress in child and distress in parents typically decrease over time, however there is still very

little that we know based on the amount of time that passes from the child’s diagnosis. For

instance, among parents of children with cancer, parents who are assessed five or more years

after their child’s diagnosis have reported lower PTSS compared to parents assessed within five

years of their child’s diagnosis (Yuko 2). Most studies indicate that declines in parental distress

after the child’s cancer diagnosis occur over multiple years.

Families that have children with cancer are affected emotionally, financially, and with

family relations. Having a child with cancer can be a scary and emotionally situation for any

parent. As a parent you have to be emotionally strong and supportive, as well as being able to

still carry out the role of a provider to your family unit. The long term psychological effects of

carrying out this role can bring on anxiety and high levels of stress. In most children with cancer,

their life changes dramatically. They have to cope with a great deal, so it is important that they

have people close to them that they can lean on for love and support.
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Works Cited

Burns, W., et al. “A 2-Year Dyadic Longitudinal Study of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Marital

Adjustment When Caring for a Child with Cancer.” Psycho-Oncology, vol. 26, no. 10,

Eiser, C., and P. Upton. “Costs of Caring for a Child with Cancer: A Questionnaire Survey.”

Child: Care, Health & Development, vol. 33, no. 4, July 2007, pp. 455–459. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00710.x.Oct. 2017, pp. 1660–1666. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1002/pon.4189.

“US Childhood Cancer Statistics.” ACCO, 26 Dec. 2018,

www.acco.org/us-childhood-cancer-statistics/.

Yuko Okado, et al. “Effects of Time since Diagnosis on the Association between Parent and

Child Distress in Families with Pediatric Cancer.” Children’s Health Care, vol. 45, no. 3,

July 2016, p. 303. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/02739615.2014.996883.