title: Helping children through an adult's serious illness: roles of the pediatric nurse.
abstract: Of the many life crises that a child may encounter on the path to adulthood, one of the most common is the serious or terminal illness of a loved adult. It is a reality that facing such illness can result in trauma, insecurity, and future psychological and behavioral problems. Alternatively, such challenges can produce enhanced family communication, increased compassion, and coping skills that can last a lifetime. The pediatric nurse, by embracing core principles of openness and honesty and by providing concrete developmental information, can empower parents to support their own children. Nurses use family-centered assessment skills to determine the impact of an adult's illness on the child and then guide the parent through those topics that are most likely to be of concern, including (a) the name of the illness, (b) the cause of the illness, (c) the potential contagion or spread of the illness, and (d) the ultimate impact of the illness on the life of the child.
authors.affiliation: The Gathering Place, Beachwood, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCue
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bonn
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014342:Truth Disclosure