Associations between Family Communication and Psychological Health in Parentally Cancer-bereaved Children and Adolescents

Author(s):  
Megan Weber
2019 ◽  
pp. 003022281985996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Weber ◽  
Anette Alvariza ◽  
Ulrika Kreicbergs ◽  
Josefin Sveen

Parentally bereaved children and adolescents are at risk of developing psychological health problems. Evidence for a correlation between communication and broad measures of psychological health exists in other populations. The aim of this study was to examine associations between family communication and specific aspects of psychological health for children and adolescents following a parent’s death from cancer using parent-proxy and adolescent self-reports. Parent-proxy reports for children and adolescents, and adolescent self-reports for Parent–Adolescent Communication, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and Prolonged Grief-13 child were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation. Parents rated communication as moderate in quality and reported good psychological health for children and adolescents. Adolescent self-reports indicated low-quality communication with their parent and poor psychological health. Significant associations between Parent–Adolescent Communication subscales and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire subscales were found for each group. Prolonged grief was associated with emotional problems but not communication for all three groups.


Author(s):  
E. А. Mуkhailova ◽  
D. A. Mitelov

Currently, there is a global trend towards an increase in the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM 1) among children and adolescents. It is characterized by a lifelong progressive course, manifested by endocrine and somatic disorders, as well as neurological and mental complications. The risk of the development of emotional disorders, cognitive dysfunction, adjustment disorder is largely determined by the microsocial environment of a child with DM 1. Objective — to study role of family in the formation of the disorders inmental and psychological health of children and adolescents with severe DM 1. Materials and methods. Examinations involved 285 patients with DM 1(126 children and 159 adolescents). The investigation design included clinical and psychopathological method, pathopsychological method, socio­psychological interviewing of a child and his/her family, test “Family sociogram”, projective picture tests “House­tree­man”, “Me and my disease”, “Kinetic picture of the family”. Results. It has been established that the level of psychological health of family of a child with DM 1 corresponded to the normal indicator in 20 % of cases. The factors have been determined that destabilize psychological health of the family, typology of family relationships with a sick child and their role in the formation of persistent neuropsychiatric complications. The factors of the microsocial environment affecting the formation of socio­psychological maladjustment of a child with DM were determined. The following risk factors of the formation of mental and neurological disorders in DM 1 children have been identified: the age of endocrine disease (DM)onset less than 7 years, the disease duration ≥ 5 years, frequent fluctuations in of glycemialevel, unsatisfactory self-control of the disease, late diagnosis of early and late complications related to the central nervous system, insufficient compliance, pathological types of family sociogram. An alternative method for diagnosing psychological problems in children and adolescents with diabetes ­ the use of projective methods has shown a high information content of target detection for the correction of emotional and behavioral disorders in the conditions of system «Life with diabetes».Conclusions. Socio-psychological patterns of maladaptation of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitushave been identified, which is important for determining the strategy of therapeutic intervention, socio-psychological support and prevention of social handicap.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 3062-3074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Hill ◽  
Benjamin Oosterhoff ◽  
Christopher M. Layne ◽  
Evan Rooney ◽  
Stephanie Yudovich ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Melina Roberts

The purpose of this article is to describe the author’s personal transition from her clinical experiences working with bereaved children and adolescents, to clinical questions that arose during this time, and then to her current phase whereby she has commenced research to examine songwriting with bereaved children. This article includes relevant literature that discusses bereavement in childhood, songwriting in music therapy, and music therapy support for bereaved children and adolescents. A description about the author’s current research, that integrates the three areas highlighted in the literature, is also discussed.


Crisis ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujata Sethi ◽  
S.C. Bhargava

Summary: Suicide in a family is distressing for each and every member. Children and adolescents bereaved by suicide are known to be more at risk of suffering from a variety of psychiatric problems, especially affective disorders. A group of children and adolescents who experienced a suicidal death in the family were assessed for psychiatric problems as well as for social adjustment. The findings suggest that the bereaved children and adolescents are at elevated risk for major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and impaired social adjustment.


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