Psychosocial factors impacting children with cancer and their families

Chronic diseases in childhood can affect the physical and mental health of patients and their families. The objective of this study was to identify the sociodemographic and psychosocial factors that predict resilience in family caregivers of children with cancer and to define whether there are differences in the levels of resilience derived from these sociodemographic variables. Three hundred and thirty family caregivers of children with cancer, with an average age of 32.6 years were interviewed. The caregivers responded to a battery of tests that included a questionnaire of sociodemographic variables, the Measuring Scale of Resilience, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Inventory of Quality of Life, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, an interview of caregiver burden and the World Health Organization Well-Being Index. The main findings indicate that family caregivers of children with cancer reported high levels of resilience, which were associated positively with quality of life, psychological well-being and years of study and associated negatively with depression, anxiety and caregiver burden. The variables that predicted resilience in families of children with cancer were quality of life, psychological well-being, depression and number of children. Family caregivers who were married and Catholic showed higher resilience scores. We conclude that being a caregiver in a family with children with cancer is associated with symptoms of anxiety and with depressive episodes. These issues can be overcome through family strength, well-being, quality of life and positive adaptation processes and mobilization of family resources.

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Onset and disappearance of gastrointestinal symptoms in diabetes: Influence of psychosocial factors, disease duration and glycemic control

Gastroenterology ◽

10.1016/s0016-5085(01)81151-3 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 120 (5) ◽

pp. A232-A232

Author(s):

N TALLEY ◽

M JONES ◽

M HOROWITZ

Keyword(s):

Glycemic Control ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Disease Duration ◽

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

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Needs of children with cancer

European Journal of Cancer ◽

10.1016/s0959-8049(01)80322-1 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

pp. 424

Keyword(s):

Children With Cancer

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Relationship of Sense of Coherence to Other Psychosocial Indices

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.20.4.227 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 227-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Sara Holmberg ◽

Anders Thelin ◽

Eva-Lena Stiernström

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Sense Of Coherence ◽

Living Conditions ◽

Strong Negative Correlation ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Positive Correlation ◽

Work Related ◽

Job Demand ◽

The Mean

Summary: The concept of “sense of coherence” (SOC) has been widely recognized since it was first introduced by Antonovsky. The originality and usefulness of the SOC scale and its relation to other psychosocial measures has been the subject of lively debate. The aim of this paper was to test for associations between SOC and work-related psychosocial factors (mainly the Job Demand-Control model), general living conditions, education, and social network factors. Cross-sectional data from a population-based sample of 1782 rural males from nine counties in Sweden were analyzed with a multiple regression technique. The subjects were occupationally active at inclusion and the mean age was 50 years (range 40-60). SOC was assessed with the original 29-item questionnaire. Psychosocial variables and lifestyle factors were assessed using questionnaires and structured interviews. The mean SOC among the subjects was 152.3 (standard deviation, 19.4). A strong negative correlation was found between SOC and job demand, whereas a positive correlation with job control was demonstrated. A positive correlation with general living conditions and with social support was also found. However, there was no correlation to education and occupation. Thus, SOC was shown to be strongly correlated to work-related psychosocial factors and social support, but independent of sociodemographic factors.

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