Psychosocial adjustment of children with a terminally ill parent.
Although a substantial number of children experience serious parental illness and death, the adjustment problems attendant to the stress of having a fatally ill parent have not been examined systematically. This paper compares the psychosocial adjustment of 62 school-aged children with a terminally ill parent (study sample) with that of children in a community sample, using several standard rating scales. Study children had significantly higher levels of self-reported depression (Children's Depression Inventory) and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and lower self-esteem (Self-Esteem Inventory). Parents also reported study children's significantly higher behavior problems and lower social competence (Child Behavior Checklist). Increased professional attention to this vulnerable population is encouraged.
Siegel
K
K
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021.
Mesagno
F P
FP
Karus
D
D
Christ
G
G
Banks
K
K
Moynihan
R
R
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001601:Bereavement; D002648:Child; D002667:Child Reactive Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*