title: Anxiety and the Quality of Life of Children Living With Parental Cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous research on children living with parental cancer has mainly focused on the psychosocial challenges, but few studies have explored their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This is important to promote well-being and discover areas of distress, as well as positive aspects of the children's life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to study how children's HRQOL is influenced by anxiety and whether age and gender act as moderators for this relationship.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a survey with a cross-sectional design, including 35 children between 8 and 18 years old (mean, 13.3 years old) living with parental cancer. Questionnaires of HRQOL (Kinder Lebensqualität) and anxiety (Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale) were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The children reported higher anxiety and lower HRQOL than the controls. The children's physiological (P = .03), emotional (P = .04), and school (P = .00) functions were significantly impaired, whereas they scored in line with the controls on self-esteem, family, friends, and overall HRQOL. A negative correlation (r = -0.707, P < .01) between anxiety and HRQOL was found. Neither age nor gender acted as a moderator between anxiety and HRQOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A one-dimensional focus on anxiety may not capture these children's multidimensional challenges. In contrast, a focus on HRQOL may give important knowledge of the children's challenges, as well as areas where they function well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthcare professionals need to work collaboratively across disciplines and have a multidimensional focus in caring for patients with cancer who have children. They must provide both the parents and children with adequate information and tools to handle their family health situation to promote the children's HRQOL.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen (Drs Hauken and Senneseth, Mr Dyregov, and Mrs Dyregov); Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen (Mr Dyregrov); and Bergen University College (Mrs Dyregrov), Norway.
authors.forename: May Aasebø
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hauken
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senneseth
authors.forename: Atle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dyregrov
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dyregrov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires