Hilton B A, Elfert H
Cancer Pract. 1996 Mar-Apr;4(2):96-104.
This article describes children's experiences with mothers' early stage breast cancer, a neglected area of study. Of 55 families from a larger study, 12 families had children between the ages of 2 and 21 years living at home. Family interviews, including the children when possible, at diagnosis and four additional times over the first year, were transcribed and content-analyzed. Two major themes emerged: awareness (entailing the child's cognitive awareness and emotional/behavioral response) and dependence. The child's developmental level influenced his or her understanding and the nature of the demands on the child and family. Because of the dependency needs of preschoolers, a chief concern for their parents was child care. Parents thought preschoolers were too young to understand so they gave simple explanations. Minor behavior problems were noted. More information was shared with school-aged children who believed their mother's situation was serious. Although children's concerns decreased, they remained evident months later. Effects of stress were noted. Home and caregiving demands usually increased and often interrupted adolescent's moves to independence and created role confusion and increased tension. Implications for parents and health professionals about interacting with children are suggested.
本文描述了儿童在母亲患早期乳腺癌情况下的经历，这是一个被忽视的研究领域。在一项规模更大的研究中的55个家庭里，有12个家庭有年龄在2岁至21岁之间的孩子在家中生活。在诊断时以及在第一年里另外四次进行家庭访谈，尽可能让孩子参与其中，访谈内容被转录并进行了内容分析。出现了两个主要主题：认知（包括孩子的认知意识以及情感/行为反应）和依赖。孩子的发育水平影响其理解以及对孩子和家庭的要求的性质。由于学龄前儿童的依赖需求，其父母主要关心的是儿童保育问题。父母认为学龄前儿童太小无法理解，所以他们给出简单的解释。注意到有一些轻微的行为问题。与学龄儿童分享了更多信息，这些孩子认为他们母亲的情况很严重。尽管孩子们的担忧有所减少，但数月后这些担忧仍然明显。注意到了压力的影响。家庭和照料需求通常会增加，并且常常打断青少年走向独立的进程，造成角色混乱并加剧紧张关系。文中还对父母和健康专业人员与孩子互动提出了建议。
