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Review
. 2022 Jan 5;19(1):599.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010599.

The Psychosocial Burden of Families with Childhood Blood Cancer

Florencia Borrescio-Higa  1 , Nieves Valdés  1
Affiliations
Review

The Psychosocial Burden of Families with Childhood Blood Cancer

Florencia Borrescio-Higa et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death for children, and leukemias are the most common pediatric cancer diagnoses in Chile. Childhood cancer is a traumatic experience and is associated with distress, pain, and other negative experiences for patients and their families. Thus, psychosocial costs represent a large part of the overall burden of cancer. This study examines psychosocial experiences in a sample of 90 families of children with blood-related cancer in Chile. We provide a global overview of the family experience, focusing on patients, caregivers, and siblings. We find that most families report a negative impact upon diagnosis; disruptions in family dynamics; a range of negative feelings of the patient, such as depression, discouragement, and irritability; and difficulty with social lives. Additionally, they report negative effects in the relationship between the siblings of the patient and their parents, and within their caregivers' spouse/partner relationship, as well as a worsening of the economic condition of the primary caregiver. Furthermore, over half of the families in the sample had to move due to diagnosis and/or treatment. Promoting interventions that can help patients, siblings, and parents cope with distress and promote resilience and well-being are important.

Keywords: caregiver; childhood cancer; psychosocial cost; siblings; well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Negative emotional impact on the patient.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Primary caregivers’ activities related to the patients’ treatment.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Impact on the primary caregivers’ spouse/partner relationships.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Relationship between the negative impact of the disease on the patients, siblings, primary caregiver, and families.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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