Cultural influences on the survivorship of families affected by childhood cancer: a case for using family systems theories.

This paper uses the family systems perspective to synthesize existing studies on the 3 components of Olson's (2000) Circumplex Model-family cohesion, flexibility, and communication-as they relate to family adaptation to cancer; and to extend the discussion to the cultural influences on these components. Family systems theory was found to be a useful framework for understanding the variance of positive and negative family adaptation in the survivorship of childhood cancer and the cultural impact on the family level variables.