Parental traumatic stress during and after paediatric cancer treatment

Abstract

The objective was to cross-sectionally compare parents of children during (n = 175) and after (n = 238) cancer treatment regarding traumatic stress (intrusion, avoidance, arousal). In both groups, time since child's diagnosis ranged from one month to six years. Intrusion and arousal were more frequent in parents during ongoing treatment, although also reported by many parents after treatment. Stress was evaluated in relation to situational and demographic factors: Parents who had experienced a relapse did not differ from parents of non-relapsed children. Time since diagnosis was only weakly associated with stress. In the stage of completed treatment the risk for severe stress was elevated in parents with lower education and immigrant parents. Mothers reported somewhat higher levels of stress than fathers, although the findings were ambiguous. To conclude, many parents experience high levels of disease-related stress, even after successful treatment. The pattern of stress symptoms may vary according to educational level, ethnicity, and gender.