Parents' emotion socialization beliefs moderate relations between parent and patient coping, but not sibling coping, with pediatric cancer

The mediating role of caregiver hope in relations among caregivers' coping and emotional socialization beliefs in pediatric oncology

The purpose of this study is to identify links between caregiver hope, caregiver coping behaviors, and caregivers' coaching versus dismissing emotion socialization (ES) beliefs in a pediatric cancer sample.

Self-report measures.

Caregivers (N = 183, 80.20% mothers; 58.5% white; 32.2% Hispanic) of youth undergoing cancer treatment (51.10% hematological malignancy, 15.30% brain or spinal [CNS] tumor, and 25.14% non-CNS solid tumor) for at least six weeks.

We used a series of mediation models to examine links between caregivers' coping behaviors, hope, and ES beliefs.

Caregivers' hope significantly mediated a positive relation between caregivers' coping and their emotion coaching beliefs, as well as an inverse relation between caregivers' maladaptive coping and their emotion dismissing beliefs.

Enhancing caregivers' hope or adaptive coping may support caregivers' beliefs during the pediatric cancer experience.

Our findings support future research to evaluate whether enhancing caregivers' hope or adaptive coping may help support evidence-based interventions that target ES beliefs and behaviors.

Importance of Social Support of Parents of Children with Cancer: A Multicomponent Model Using Partial Least Squares-Path Modelling

The purpose of the present study is to build a model combining some variables that have been previously studied separately to improve our understanding on how they relate in parents of children with cancer. A total of 112 parents with an average age of 41 completed the self-assessment questionnaires containing the factors studied: social support received, social support provided, stress, adjustment of parents and life satisfaction. Two models were developed: one for social support received and one for social support provided. Structural equation models based on the variance estimated through partial least squares were used to analyze factors involved in quality of life based on an exploratory model of second order. The estimated model was robust in terms of quality of measurement (reliability and validity). According to results from the structural model, in the model of social support received, the impact of social support received on stress was considerable (β = -0.26; p = 0.02) and it explained 16% of the variance. The impact of social support received by parents on their adjustment (β = -0.56; p < 0.001) was also considerable, explaining 32% of the variance. Finally, adjustment of parents also showed an effect on life satisfaction (β = -0.33; p < 0.001) and it explained 26% of the variance. However, the relation between social support received (β = 0.15; p = 0.11) and life satisfaction, the relation between stress (β = -0.15; p = 0.08) and life satisfaction, and the relation between adjustment of parents (β = 0.20; p = 0.07) and stress were not significant. In the model of social support provided by parents, social support provided (β = 0.35; p < 0.001), and adjustment of parents (β = -0.31; p < 0.01) impacted life satisfaction, explaining 36% of the variance. Social support provided (β = -0.34; p < 0.01) impacted adjustment of parents and it explained 12% of the variance. Adjustment of parents (β = 0.28; p < 0.05) also impacted parents' perception of stress, explaining 14% of the variance. However, the relation between social support provided (β = -0.17; p = 0.06) and stress, and the relation between stress (β = -0.13; p = 0.08) and life satisfaction, were not significant. Social support received showed a strong connection with stress and parents' adjustment. Additionally, social support received showed a decrease in stress and parents' adjustment. Social support provided by parents and the adjustments they experience are linked to their life satisfaction. Additionally, social support provided showed a decrease in adjustment and an increase in parents' life satisfaction. The models can be used to improve parents' situations and it has strong practical implications.

Relation Between Social Support Received and Provided by Parents of Children, Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer and Stress Levels and Life and Family Satisfaction

Introduction

The present study aims at analysing how social support received and provided by parents of children, adolescents and young adults (AYA) diagnosed with cancer, as well as their sociodemographic and clinical variables, affect those parents’ stress levels and life and family satisfaction.

Materials and Methods

A total of 112 parents of children and AYAs who had been diagnosed with cancer and who received treatment in Malaga participated in the study. In the study, participated all parents who voluntarily agreed to fulfil the questionnaire. The main inclusion criterion was that their child had cancer. Instruments used were Questionnaire on the Frequency of and Satisfaction with Social Support (QFSSS), Paediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP), Life Satisfaction Scale and Family Satisfaction Scale.

Results

In the mean difference analyses, male parents showed 3.38 (SD = 0.56) in social support received and female parents showed M = 3.08 (SD = 0.72). Conversely, in social support provided, female parents showed 3.22 and male parents showed M = 3.55 (p = 0.020). Significant differences were also found in family satisfaction, where female parents (M = 3.64) feel more satisfied than male parents (M = 3.06; p = 0.027). Parents of children aged between 0 and 14 years (M = 3.06) feel more stress than those parents of children aged 15–21 (M = 2.61; p = 0.021). The correlation analysis shows that there is a negative and significant relation between stress levels experienced by parents when facing different situations related to the child’s disease and both types of support, received r = −0.411, p < 0.001 and provided r = −0.282, p < 0.01. There is also a positive and significant relation between life satisfaction and social support received r = 0.292, p < 0.01, and social support provided r = 0.409, p < 0.001. There is a positive and significant relation between family satisfaction and social support received r = 0.330, p < 0.01, in the same way as with social support provided r = 0.222, p < 0.05. The regression analysis related to stress levels of parents indicates that social support received predicts levels of stress significantly p < 0.001, with the variable of number of children being the one that showed to be significant p < 0.05. Social support provided showed the most significant results p = 0.001, meaning that social support provided increased life satisfaction. Social support received explains family satisfaction (p = 0.50), as it increases the family satisfaction of parents of children with cancer.

Discussion

Analysing social support received and provided, as well as sociodemographic and clinical variables, allowed us to broaden the knowledge on the effect social support has on stress levels, life satisfaction and family satisfaction in parents of children and AYAs diagnosed with cancer. This may have relevant practical implications for the design of interventions that would improve parents’ lives.

La resiliencia de los padres de niños con cáncer y su importancia en el manejo del estrés y la satisfacción vital

Objetivo: El presente estudio se plantea como objetivo principal analizar cómo la resiliencia de los padres de niños diagnosticados con enfermedad oncológica influye en la percepción de estrés y en la satisfacción vital. Metodología: Participaron 112 padres de niños con patología oncológica que recibían tratamiento en Málaga. Los datos fueron recogidos a través de medidas de autoinforme. Resultados: Existe una relación significativa y negativa entre la resiliencia y el estrés percibido, y una relación significativa y positiva entre la resiliencia y la satisfacción vital. En el estudio por dimensiones de la resiliencia y el estrés, la competencia personal de los padres disminuye el estrés R2 = 0,24; F = 12,12; p<0,0001 y la dimensión de la resiliencia aceptación de uno mismo aumenta la satisfacción vital R2 = 0,42; F = 31,24; p<0,0001. Conclusiones: El análisis de la resiliencia a través de sus dimensiones ha permitido conocer el papel que tiene sobre el estrés y la satisfacción vital de los padres con niños con cáncer. Estos resultados pueden tener importantes implicaciones prácticas en el diseño de las intervenciones que mejoren su calidad de vida.

Socialization of Coping in Pediatric Oncology Settings: Theoretical Consideration on Parent-Child Connections in Posttraumatic Growth

This theoretical article aims to summarize the results of studies relevant to parental influence on coping with childhood cancer and provide implications for future research focused on parent–child connections in posttraumatic growth (PTG) following childhood cancer. Parental influence on child coping described by the socialization of coping and socialization of emotions theories has already been studied in connection with posttraumatic stress, but the role of parents in the process of PTG in the child has not been clearly described yet. Several studies focused on PTG in childhood cancer survivors and their parents simultaneously, but only two studies explicitly included a parent–child connection in PTG in statistical analysis. Studies suggest that child PTG may be facilitated through parental coping advice supporting emotion expression and that parent–child connection in PTG may be mediated by the child’s subjective perception of the parents’ PTG. More research is needed to describe specific strategies proposed by parents and leading to child PTG and design tailored interventions for the use in the clinical care of childhood cancer survivors and their family.