Abstract
Purpose
This paper reviewed the peer-reviewed scientific literature on well-being of children impacted by a parent with cancer.
Method
An integrative review of peer-reviewed literature between 2000 and 2015 regarding parental cancer and its impact on families was conducted by searching relevant databases using predefined key search terms. A thematic analysis was undertaken on literature that met inclusion criteria.
Results
Forty-nine studies met the criteria for this review, and five major themes were established: impact of cancer, communication, coping strategies, parenting factors mediating impact, and support services. There was considerable variability in study design, methodological approaches, and findings. In the majority of studies, children were significantly impacted by the parent’s cancer diagnosis and exhibited distress. Daughters appeared to experience worsened mental health, and sons experienced a greater totality of internalizing and externalizing problems. Children of all ages were impacted by their parent’s cancer diagnosis and initiated a number of coping strategies in response. Despite this, a significant number of studies revealed that parents underestimated the impact that their cancer had on their children. Family functioning, as well as the ill parents’ gender, coping strategies, cancer severity, and mental and physical health mediated their children’s well-being. Parent-child communication was a key element in supporting children.
Conclusion
Parental cancer may impact children’s long-term well-being. Further investigations are needed in this area. Additionally, review of support programs and interventions are warranted in terms of their uptake and impact on families affected by a parent’s cancer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Semple CJ, McCaughan E (2013) Family life when a parent is diagnosed with cancer: impact of a psychosocial intervention for young children. Eur J Cancer Care 22(2):219–231
Ying-hwa S, Ryan-Wenger NA (2007) Children’s adjustment to parental cancer: a theoretical model development. Cancer Nurs September/October 30(5):362–381
Lewis FM (2007) Parental cancer and dependent children: selected issues for future research. Psycho-Oncology 16(2):97–98
Grabiak BR, Bender CM, Puskar KR (2007) The impact of parental cancer on the adolescent: an analysis of the literature. Psycho-Oncology 16(2):127–137
Harris CA, Zakowski SG (2003) Comparisons of distress in adolescents of cancer patients and controls. Psycho-Oncology 12(2):173–182
Krattenmacher T et al. (2012) Parental cancer: factors associated with children’s psychosocial adjustment—a systematic review. J Psychosom Res 72(5):344–356
Krauel K et al. (2012) When a parent has cancer: challenges to patients, their families and health providers. Expert Rev Pharmacoeconomics Outcome Res 12:795 +
Möller B et al. (2014) Children of cancer patients: prevalence and predictors of emotional and behavioral problems. Cancer 120(15):2361–2370
Sieh DS et al. (2010) Problem behavior in children of chronically ill parents: a Meta-analysis. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 13(4):384–397
Osborn T (2007) The psychosocial impact of parental cancer on children and adolescents: a systematic review. Psycho-Oncology 16(2):101–126
Compas BE et al. (1994) When mom or dad has cancer: markers of psychological distress in cancer patients, spouses, and children. Health Psychol 13(6):507–515
Cherith JS, McCance T (2010) Parents’ experience of cancer who have young children: a literature review. Cancer Nurs 33(2):110–118
Gazendam-Donofrio SM et al. (2008) Quality of life of parents with children living at home: when one parent has cancer. Support Care Cancer 16(2):133–141
Torraco RJ (2005) Writing integrative literature reviews: guidelines and examples. Hum Resour Dev Rev 4(3):356–367
Mills AJ, Durepos G, Wiebe E (2009) Encyclopedia of Case Study Research. Encyclopedia of Case Study Research. SAGE Publications, Inc. In: Thousand oaks. SAGE Publications, Inc., CA
Barnes J et al. (2000) Qualitative interview study of communication between parents and children about maternal breast cancer. BMJ 321(7259):479–482
Pfeffer CR et al. (2000) Child survivors of parental death from cancer or suicide: depressive and behavioral outcomes. Psycho-Oncology 9(1):1–10
Nelson E, While D (2002) Children’s adjustment during the first year of a parent’s cancer diagnosis. J Psychosoc Oncol 20(1):15–36
Barnes J et al. (2002) Factors predicting communication about the diagnosis of maternal breast cancer to children. J Psychosom Res 52(4):209–214
Davey MPAJK (2003) Parent and adolescent responses to non-terminal parental cancer: a retrospective multiple-case pilot study. Fam, Syst Health: J Collab Family Health Care 21(3):245
Helseth S, Ulfsaet N (2003) Having a parent with cancer: coping and quality of life of children during serious illness in the family. Cancer Nurs 26(5):355–362
Huizinga GA et al. (2003) Psychosocial consequences for children of a parent with cancer: a pilot study. Cancer Nurs 26(3):195–202
Helseth S, Ulfsæt N (2005) Parenting experiences during cancer. J Adv Nurs 52(1):38–46
Visser A et al. (2005) Emotional and behavioural functioning of children of a parent diagnosed with cancer: a cross-informant perspective. Psycho-Oncology 14(9):746–758
Watson M et al. (2006) Factors associated with emotional and behavioural problems among school age children of breast cancer patients. Br J Cancer 94(1):43–50
Forrest G et al. (2006) Breast cancer in the family—children’s perceptions of their mother’s cancer and its initial treatment: qualitative study. BMJ 332(7548):998–1003
Thastum M et al. (2006) Evaluation of a focused short-term preventive Counselling project for families with a parent with cancer. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry 11(4):529–542
Visser A et al. (2006) Parental cancer. Cancer 106(5):1178–1187
Visser A et al. (2007) Emotional and behavioral problems in children of parents recently diagnosed with cancer: a longitudinal study. Acta Oncol 46(1):67–76
Gazendam-Donofrio SM et al. (2007) Family functioning and adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems: when a parent has cancer. Ann Oncol 18(12):1951–1956
Lindqvist B et al. (2007) Factors associated with the mental health of adolescents when a parent has cancer. Scand J Psychol 48(4):345–351
Visser A et al. (2007) Temperament as a predictor of internalising and externalising problems in adolescent children of parents diagnosed with cancer. Support Care Cancer 15(4):395–403
Schmitt F et al. (2008) Cancer families with children: factors associated with family functioning—a comparative study in Finland. Psychooncology 17(4):363–372
Edwards L et al. (2008) Adolescent’s stress responses and psychological functioning when a parent has early breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology 17(10):1039–1047
Thastum M et al. (2008) Coping, social relations, and communication: a qualitative exploratory study of children of parents with cancer. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry 13(1):123–138
Vannatta K et al. (2008) Impact of maternal breast cancer on the peer interactions of children at school. Psycho-Oncology 17(3):252–259
Buchbinder M, Longhofer J, McCue K (2009) Family routines and rituals when a parent has cancer. Fam Syst Health 27(3):213–227
Bugge KE, Helseth S, Darbyshire P (2009) Parents’ experiences of a family support program when a parent has incurable cancer. J Clin Nurs 18(24):3480–3488
Gazendam-Donofrio S et al. (2009) Parent-child communication patterns during the first year after a parent’s cancer diagnosis. Cancer 115(18):4227–4237
Kennedy VL, Lloyd-Williams M (2009) How children cope when a parent has advanced cancer. Psycho-Oncology 18(8):886–892
Thastum M et al. (2009) Prevalence and predictors of emotional and behavioural functioning of children where a parent has cancer. Cancer 115(17):4030–4039
Davey, M., et al., “It has been a good growing experience for me”: growth experiences among African American youth coping with parental cancer. Families, Systems & Health, 2010. 28: 274 + .
Flahault C, Sultan S (2010) On being a child of an ill parent: a Rorschach investigation of adaptation to parental cancer compared to other illnesses. Rorschachiana 31(1):43–69
Huizinga GA et al. (2011) Family-oriented multilevel study on the psychological functioning of adolescent children having a mother with cancer. Psycho-Oncology 20(7):730–737
Gazendam-Donofrio SM et al. (2011) Adolescents’ emotional reactions to parental cancer: effect on emotional and behavioral problems. J Pediatr Psychol 36(3):346–359
Sheehan DK, Draucker CB (2011) Interaction patterns between parents with advanced cancer and their adolescent children. Psycho-Oncology 20(10):1108–1115
Rainville F et al. (2012) Psychological distress among adolescents living with a parent with advanced cancer. J Psychosoc Oncol 30(5):519–534
Foran-Tuller K et al. (2012) Posttraumatic stress symptoms in children of mothers diagnosed with breast cancer. J Psychosoc Oncol 30(1):41–56
Costas-Muniz R (2012) Hispanic adolescents coping with parental cancer. Support Care Cancer 20(2):413–417
Bekteshi V, Kayser K (2013) When a mother has cancer: pathways to relational growth for mothers and daughters coping with cancer. Psychooncology 22(10):2379–2385
Campbell-Enns HJ, Woodgate RL (2013) Decision making for mothers with cancer: maintaining the mother–child bond. Eur J Oncol Nurs 17(3):261–268
Davey M et al. (2013) A culturally adapted family intervention for African American families coping with parental cancer: outcomes of a pilot study. Psycho-Oncology 22(7):1572–1580
Inbar C et al. (2013) The mental health of breast cancer survivors and their adolescent daughters. Psycho-Oncology 22(6):1236–1241
John K, Becker K, Mattejat F (2013) Impact of family-oriented rehabilitation and prevention: an inpatient program for mothers with breast cancer and their children. Psycho-Oncology 22(12):2684–2692
Krattenmacher T et al. (2013) Coping skills and mental health status in adolescents when a parent has cancer: a multicenter and multi-perspective study. J Psychosom Res 74(3):252–259
Küçükoğlu S, Çelebioğlu A (2013) Identification of psychological symptoms and associated factors in adolescents who have a parent with cancer in Turkey. Eur J Oncol Nurs 17(1):75–80
Maynard A et al. (2013) What is helpful to adolescents who have a parent diagnosed with cancer? J Psychosoc Oncol 31(6):675–697
Torp S et al. (2013) Financial and social effects on children and adolescents when a parent is diagnosed with cancer. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 30(4):293–310
Bultmann JC et al. (2014) Parental cancer: health-related quality of life and current psychosocial support needs of cancer survivors and their children. Int J Cancer 135(11):2668–2677
Gotze H et al. (2015) Predictors of quality of life of cancer patients, their children, and partners. Psychooncology 24(7):787–795
Phillips F, Lewis FM (2015) The adolescent’s experience when a parent has advanced cancer: a qualitative inquiry. Palliat Med 29(9):851–858
Visser A et al. (2004) The impact of parental cancer on children and the family: a review of the literature. Cancer Treat Rev 8:683–694
Kucukoglu S, Celebioglu A (2013) Identification of psychological symptoms and associated factors in adolescents who have a parent with cancer in Turkey. Eur J Oncol Nurs 17(1):75–80
Krattenmacher T et al. (2014) A comparison of the emotional and behavioral problems of children of patients with cancer or a mental disorder and their association with parental quality of life. J Psychosom Res 76(3):213–220
Niemelä M, Hakko H, Räsänen S (2010) A systematic narrative review of the studies on structured child-centred interventions for families with a parent with cancer. Psycho-Oncology 19(5):451–461
Jantzer V et al. (2013) Risk behaviors and externalizing behaviors in adolescents dealing with parental cancer—a controlled longitudinal study. Psycho-Oncology 22(11):2611–2616
Phillips F (2015) The experience of adolescents who have a parent with advanced cancer: a phenomenological inquiry. Palliat Support Care 13(04):1057–1069
Levesque JV, Maybery D (2012) Parental cancer: catalyst for positive growth and change. Qual Health Res 22(3):397–408
Lewis FM et al. (1996) The functioning of single women with breast cancer and their school-aged children. Cancer Pract 4(1):15–24
Cho O-H, Yoo Y-S, Hwang K-H (2015) Comparison of parent–child communication patterns and parental role satisfaction among mothers with and without breast cancer. Appl Nurs Res 28(2):163–168
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Morris, J.N., Martini, A. & Preen, D. The well-being of children impacted by a parent with cancer: an integrative review. Support Care Cancer 24, 3235–3251 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3214-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3214-2