Korean mothers' psychosocial adjustment to their children's cancer.
BACKGROUND
During the course of adjustment to their child's illness and medical treatment, parents of children with cancer may experience numerous challenges and difficulties. Although parental adjustment has been a research topic for many years, little research has been conducted among families in different cultures and countries.


OBJECTIVE
To identify factors that influence maternal psychosocial adjustment to childhood cancer using a new cultural group: Korean.


METHODS
A sample of 200 Korean mothers of children with cancer was included in the study. Guided by the double ABCX model of family adjustment and adaptation, a series of variables (i.e. maternal stress, coping, social support and selected illness-related and demographic questions) were examined for their relationships with maternal psychosocial adjustment to childhood cancer.


RESULTS
Using a hierarchical multiple regression, we found perceived level of stress, coping, social support, and time since diagnosis to be significant correlates of maternal psychosocial adjustment. Stress accounted for most (50%) of the total variance explained (56%) in maternal adjustment.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the stress-coping framework may be appropriate in explaining maternal responses to childhood cancer across cultures.
Han
Hae-Ra
HR
School of Nursing, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2110, USA. hhan@son.jhmi.edu
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology