title: Illness Uncertainty, Global Psychological Distress, and Posttraumatic Stress in Pediatric Cancer: A Preliminary Examination Using a Path Analysis Approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship of illness uncertainty (IU) to global psychological distress (GPD) and posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) using a path analysis approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 105 caregivers (MAge = 36.9 years, standard deviation [SD] = 8.7) of children (MAge = 8.6 years, SD = 5.0) with newly diagnosed cancer. A path analysis model examined the indirect and direct effects of each IU subscale on PTSS through GPD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final model accounted for 47.30% of the variance in PTSS, and the ambiguity facet of IU had a significant indirect effect on PTSS through GPD. Lack of clarity and unpredictability were not significant predictors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ambiguity experienced by parents may be salient in the development of PTSS. Future research should examine these relationships longitudinally in larger samples to better understand adjustment in parents of children with cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, alayna.tackett@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alayna P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Tackett
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, and.
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Cushing
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Kristina I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Suorsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Alexandria J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mullins
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Kaitlyn L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Gamwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
authors.forename: Sunnye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mayes
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McNall-Knapp
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chaney
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Larry L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Mullins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D035501:Uncertainty
keywords: global psychological distress; illness uncertainty; pediatric cancer; posttraumatic stress