Adaptation of children of parents suffering from cancer: A preliminary study of a new field for primary prevention research.

An important new field for primary prevention research is proposed: the adaptation of normal children to the stress of normal parents who suffer from cancer. A pilot retrospective investigation of adolescent daughters of mothers who has mastectomy for breast cancer revealed a high level of motivation to participate in the study. Most girls were significantly upset and felt inadequately supported during periods of peak stress in their mothers caused by the illness and its treatment. Prospective studies are proposed that will develop and evaluate methods to ameliorate suffering and to lower the risk of psychopathology in children of parents with cancer.