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Attitudes, Perceptions, and Family Coping in Pediatric Cancer and Childhood Diabetes
Author(s) -
Eapen Valsamma,
Mabrouk AbdelAzim,
BinOthman Salem
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1414.008
Subject(s) - psychosocial , coping (psychology) , psychology , competence (human resources) , clinical psychology , perception , developmental psychology , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , neuroscience
The importance of psychosocial factors in psychological adjustment and coping in children with cancer and their families is well recognized. In this study, parental attitudes, children's self‐perceptions, and families' coping were studied in 38 children with leukemia, 30 children with juvenile diabetes, and 30 control subjects. Children with cancer scored themselves more negatively than their parents on all the subscales except scholastic competence, while children with diabetes scored negatively in the area of athletic competence. With regard to family coping, parental hope as well as social and family communication were the most important factors that contributed to better coping in children with leukemia, while parental education and health awareness were integral to better coping in children with diabetes. Awareness of family coping and understanding the domains of self‐competence and self‐worth, which are vulnerable in children with cancer, can help healthcare providers to target these issues and to offer appropriate psychosocial intervention.