Families of young adolescents who have survived cancer: social-emotional adjustment, adaptability, and social support

Abstract

Young adolescent (10-15 year old) survivors of childhood cancer and their families (n = 35) completed self-report measures of perceived self-competence, social support, child behavior, parental distress, and family adaptability and cohesion, at two data points, 6 months apart. Relative to instrument norms and a comparison group (n = 13), survivors and their families scored within normative levels. The overall lack of group differences is discussed in terms of the implications of tests of the null hypothesis for families with chronically ill children. Changes over time for the survivors suggest a decline in available social support. Parents of survivors who received educational assistance reported less family adaptability and more distress than parents of survivors not receiving these services.