School of Clinical Medicine, Discipline of Paediatrics, UNSW Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia.
Behavioural Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2022 Dec;69(12):e30015. doi: 10.1002/pbc.30015. Epub 2022 Oct 6.
Childhood cancer is highly distressing for families and can place strain on parents' relationships. Parental functioning and cohesiveness are important predictors of family functioning and adaptation to stress. This qualitative study investigated the perceived impact of childhood cancer on parents' relationship with their partner, with a focus on emotional and sexual intimacy.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 48 parents (42 mothers, six fathers) of children under the age of 18 who had completed curative cancer treatment. We analysed the interviews using thematic analysis.
At interview, parents were on average 40.7 years old (SD = 5.5, range: 29-55 years), and had a child who had completed cancer treatment between 3 months and 10.8 years previously (M = 22.1 months). All participants were living with their partner in a married/de facto relationship. Most parents reported that their child's cancer treatment had a negative impact on emotional and sexual intimacy with their partner, with some impacts extending to the post-treatment period. Reasons for compromised intimacy included exhaustion and physical constraints, having a shifted focus, and discord arising from different coping styles. Some parents reported that their relationship strengthened. Parents also discussed the impact of additional stressors unrelated to the child's cancer experience.
Parents reported that childhood cancer had a negative impact on aspects of emotional and sexual intimacy, although relationship strengthening was also evident. It is important to identify and offer support to couples who experience ongoing relationship stress, which may have adverse effects on family functioning and psychological wellbeing into survivorship.
儿童癌症对家庭来说是极其痛苦的，会给父母的关系带来压力。父母的功能和凝聚力是家庭功能和适应压力的重要预测因素。这项定性研究调查了儿童癌症对父母与伴侣关系的感知影响，重点关注情感和性亲密。
我们对 48 名（42 名母亲，6 名父亲）18 岁以下儿童癌症治愈治疗的父母进行了半结构化访谈。我们使用主题分析对访谈进行了分析。
在采访时，父母的平均年龄为 40.7 岁（标准差=5.5，范围：29-55 岁），孩子在癌症治疗后平均 22.1 个月（范围：3 个月至 10.8 年）。所有参与者都与伴侣生活在一起，处于已婚/事实婚姻关系。大多数父母报告说，孩子的癌症治疗对他们与伴侣的情感和性亲密关系产生了负面影响，有些影响延伸到治疗后时期。亲密关系受损的原因包括疲惫和身体限制、注意力转移，以及不同应对方式引起的不和。一些父母报告说他们的关系得到了加强。父母还讨论了与孩子癌症经历无关的其他压力源的影响。
父母报告说，儿童癌症对情感和性亲密关系的某些方面产生了负面影响，但关系加强的情况也很明显。识别和为那些经历持续关系压力的夫妇提供支持很重要，这可能会对家庭功能和心理幸福感产生不利影响，进入生存阶段。
