Prevalence and predictors of emotional and behavioural functioning of children where a parent has cancer: a multinational study.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to evaluate prevalence and risk factors for emotional and behavioral problems in dependent children of cancer patients using a multinational research design.


METHODS
The sample comprised 350 ill parents, 250 healthy partners, and 352 children. Parents assessed the child's psychological functioning using the Child Behavior Checklist, parental depression using the Beck Depression Inventory, family functioning using the General Functioning subscale of the Family Assessment Device, quality of life using short-form questionnaire, and adolescents (N = 168) self-reported psychological functioning using the Youth Self Report.


RESULTS
Children and adolescents, in particular latency-aged boys and adolescent girls, were of higher risk of psychosocial problems than norms. There was a higher risk of problems when the father was ill than when the mother was ill, but it remains unclear whether this difference was due to the different diagnoses of fathers and mothers, gender or other factors. The best predictor of internalizing problems in children and adolescents was parental depression, and the best predictor of externalizing problems in children and adolescents was family dysfunction.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate the need for a family-oriented approach to psychological support of cancer patients.
Thastum
Mikael
M
Department of Psychology, University of Aarhus, Denmark. mikael@psy.au.dk
Watson
Maggie
M
Kienbacher
Christian
C
Piha
Jorma
J
Steck
Barbara
B
Zachariae
Robert
R
Baldus
Christiane
C
Romer
Georg
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors