Adolescents living with a parent with advanced cancer: a review of the literature

Abstract

Objective: Families and children facing the death of a parent from cancer constitute a vulnerable population often overlooked by healthcare professionals and researchers. The purpose of this review is to provide a systematic analysis of the literature that examines the experiences of parents diagnosed with advanced cancer and their adolescent children.

Methods: Reviews of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method publications between 2000 and 2013 were selected in order to obtain the most current and timely studies. Articles published before 2000 but found to be seminal works on this topic were also included. No time limits were set on intervention studies.

Results: Eighteen studies met the criteria for the content of this review, indicating the limited number of studies conducted on this topic. Articles were summarized using the following categories: original research on the impact on the family and parenting, original research on the impact on the child/adolescent, and interventions for families facing incurable cancer. The analysis was organized around the major themes found in the literature within each category.

Conclusions: These themes will allow healthcare professionals to understand implications for clinical practice and apply the knowledge gained from this analysis of literature to guide future research.

Keywords: adolescents; advanced cancer; cancer; oncology; parental cancer.