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. 2009 Oct;23(5):717-25.
doi: 10.1037/a0015996.

Family functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer

Melissa A Alderfer  1 , Neha Navsaria, Anne E Kazak
Affiliations

Family functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer

Melissa A Alderfer et al. J Fam Psychol. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

This study investigated family functioning and relationships between family functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer. To assess family functioning, 144 adolescent cancer survivors 1 to 12 years post-cancer treatment (M = 5.3 years) and their parents completed the Family Assessment Device (FAD). To assess PTSD, adolescents were administered a structured diagnostic interview. Nearly half (47%) of the adolescents, one fourth (25%) of mothers, and one third (30%) of fathers reported poor family functioning, exceeding the clinical cutoff on 4 or more FAD subscales. Families in which the cancer survivor had PTSD (8% of the sample) had poorer functioning than other families in the areas of problem solving, affective responsiveness, and affective involvement. Three fourths of the adolescents with PTSD came from families with categorically poor family functioning. A surprisingly high rate of poor family functioning was reported in these families of adolescent cancer survivors. Adolescents with PTSD were more than 5 times as likely to emerge from a poorly functioning family compared with a well-functioning one. This study provides evidence that family functioning is related to cancer-related posttraumatic reactions in adolescent survivors.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
Family Mean Functioning ratings in Families with and without an Adolescent with Cancer-related PTSD (Possible scores range from 1 to 4 with higher scores indicating poorer functioning; *indicates a statistically significant difference)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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