Objective: When a child is diagnosed with cancer, problems may arise in family relationships and negatively affect child adjustment. The current study examined patterns of spillover between marital and parent-child relationships to identify targets for intervention aimed at ameliorating family conflict. Method: Families (N = 117) were recruited from two US children's hospitals within 2-week postdiagnosis to participate in a short-term prospective longitudinal study. Children with cancer were 2-10 years old (M = 5.42 years, SD = 2.59). Primary caregivers provided reports of marital and parent-child conflict at 1-, 6-, and 12-month postdiagnosis. Results: Results indicated that a unidirectional model of spillover from the marital to the parent-child relationship best explained the data. In terms of specific temporal patterns, lower marital adjustment soon after diagnosis was associated with an increase in parent-child conflict 6 months later, though this pattern was not repeated in the latter 6 months of treatment. Conclusion: Targeting problems in marital relationships soon after diagnosis may prevent conflict from developing in the parent-child relationship.
Objective: When a child is diagnosed with cancer, problems may arise in family relationships and negatively affect child adjustment. The current study examined patterns of spillover between marital and parent-child relationships to identify targets for intervention aimed at ameliorating family conflict. Method: Families (N = 117) were recruited from two US children's hospitals within 2-week postdiagnosis to participate in a short-term prospective longitudinal study. Children with cancer were 2-10 years old (M = 5.42 years, SD = 2.59). Primary caregivers provided reports of marital and parent-child conflict at 1-, 6-, and 12-month postdiagnosis. Results: Results indicated that a unidirectional model of spillover from the marital to the parent-child relationship best explained the data. In terms of specific temporal patterns, lower marital adjustment soon after diagnosis was associated with an increase in parent-child conflict 6 months later, though this pattern was not repeated in the latter 6 months of treatment. Conclusion: Targeting problems in marital relationships soon after diagnosis may prevent conflict from developing in the parent-child relationship.
Authors: W Burns; K Péloquin; S Sultan; A Moghrabi; S Marcoux; M Krajinovic; D Sinnett; C Laverdière; P Robaey Journal: Psychooncology Date: 2016-06-30 Impact factor: 3.894
Authors: Anne E Kazak; Matthew C Hocking; Richard F Ittenbach; Anna T Meadows; Wendy Hobbie; Branlyn Werba DeRosa; Ann Leahey; Leslie Kersun; Anne Reilly Journal: Pediatr Blood Cancer Date: 2011-08-19 Impact factor: 3.167
Authors: Laura S Porter; Donald H Baucom; Melanie Bonner; Corinne Linardic; Anne E Kazak Journal: Transl Behav Med Date: 2019-05-16 Impact factor: 3.046