Pediatric medical traumatic stress in pediatric oncology: family systems interventions.
OBJECTIVE
Traumatic stress offers a helpful framework by which the ongoing reactions of children with cancer and their families can be understood. Family systems interventions in pediatric oncology are reviewed, with a focus on reducing pediatric medical traumatic stress (PMTS) across members of the family.


RESULTS
A recently developed model of PMTS is presented and applied to the pediatric cancer population. Two family interventions to decrease traumatic stress systems are reviewed. Reductions in traumatic stress symptoms were observed at postintervention follow-ups for family members in both studies.


CONCLUSIONS
The pediatric medical traumatic stress model provides a useful heuristic for understanding the psychological consequences of pediatric cancer on the child and their family over the course of treatment and beyond. Two family systems interventions show promise in improving outcomes for childhood cancer survivors and their parents. Although interventions are promising, future development of these interventions to modify them for dissemination is needed.
Pai
Ahna L H
AL
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. paia@email.chop.edu
Kazak
Anne E
AE
D002648:Child; D005192:Family Health; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires