title: Addressing the psychosocial wellbeing of teenage children of cancer patients and survivors.
abstract: Thomas is 13 years old. His parents report a sharp decline in his school grades caused, according to his teachers' opinions, by listlessness and lack of concentration. The parents of Julia, 16 years old, describe her as restless, evasive, isolated, and withdrawn from others and from her usual activities. Linda, 18 years old, is described by her parents as indecisive, uncertain, and almost lethargic. Normally resolute and a high academic achiever, she appears locked in herself, unable to make choices. We first learned about them through the accounts of their concerned parents. Claire, 19 years old, lost weight and exercised hard enough to induce amenorrhea after her young mother underwent treatment for breast cancer, including antihormonal treatment. These four teenagers have in common a parent diagnosed with cancer, undergoing or having just completed treatment.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Oncological Psychology - Centro di Riferimento Oncologico - National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy. annunziata@cro.it.
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Annunziata
authors.affiliation: Unit of Oncological Psychology - Centro di Riferimento Oncologico - National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muzzatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, New York University Medical School, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Surbone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents; D012944:Social Support; D017741:Survivors
keywords: Adolescence; Cancer in a parent; Psychosocial repercussions of cancer in the family; Supportive care and counseling; Teenagers