School-age children's and adolescents' adjustment when a parent has cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe school-age children's and adolescents' adjustment to parental cancer.

DESIGN

Retrospective population control.

SETTING

Screening cancer registries identified subjects at four Midwestern hospitals, including urban and rural settings of community and tertiary hospitals. All families were interviewed at home one time.

SAMPLE

A convenience sample of 116 school-age children (6-10 years) and adolescents (11-18 years) living in the home of a parent with cancer.

METHODS

Data were collected using two forms of the Child Behavior Checklist and an investigator-developed demographic form. The ill parent, the partner, and the adolescent rated the adjustment. This study's data were compared with population data, and comparisons were made among raters and with the existing literature.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

School-age children's and adolescents' adjustment.

FINDINGS

School-age children and adolescents of a parent with cancer have significantly more behavioral problems than were expected. The significant agreement among raters is of a modest magnitude but as strong as rater agreement reported in the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Most school-age children and adolescents of a parent with cancer are well-adjusted, but a significant subset of youngsters is at risk for behavioral problems.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Nurses need to assess ill parents' concerns about their youngsters, provide information to parents, adolescents, and school-age children, and institute appropriate referrals.