Jacqui van Warmerdam1,2, Veda Zabih1, Paul Kurdyak3,4, Rinku Sutradhar4,5, Paul C Nathan1,4,5,6, Sumit Gupta1,4,5,6. 1. The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Child Health and Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Canada. 2. University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Sciences, Toronto, Canada. 3. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health CAMH, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Toronto, Canada. 4. ICES, Cancer, Toronto, Canada. 5. University of Toronto, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Toronto, Canada. 6. The Hospital for Sick Children, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Toronto, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: For parents, a diagnosis of cancer in their child is a traumatic experience. However, there is conflicting evidence about the risk of developing mental illness among parents following diagnosis. Our objective was to conduct a meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of mental illness in parents of children with cancer. METHODS: Four databases were searched to identify articles describing the prevalence of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in parents of pediatric cancer patients. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data. Subgroup analyses by gender and phase of cancer experience were selected a priori. Studies were reviewed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: Of 11 394 articles identified, 58 met inclusion criteria. Reported prevalence was highly heterogeneous, ranging from 5% to 65% for anxiety (pooled prevalence 21% [95% CI, 13%-35%]), 7% to 91% for depression (pooled prevalence 28% [95% CI, 23%-35%]), and 4% to 75% for PTSD (pooled prevalence 26% [95% CI, 22%-32%]). Prevalence was consistently higher than noncancer parental controls. Heterogeneity was not explained by parental gender or child's cancer phase and was instead likely due to significant methodological differences in measurement tools and defined thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with cancer have a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and PTSD compared with population controls. Yet, the reported prevalence of mental illness was highly variable, hampering any conclusive findings on absolute prevalence. To better understand the risk of long-term mental illness in this population and target interventions, future studies must adhere to standardized reporting and methods.
BACKGROUND: For parents, a diagnosis of cancer in their child is a traumatic experience. However, there is conflicting evidence about the risk of developing mental illness among parents following diagnosis. Our objective was to conduct a meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of mental illness in parents of children with cancer. METHODS: Four databases were searched to identify articles describing the prevalence of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in parents of pediatric cancerpatients. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data. Subgroup analyses by gender and phase of cancer experience were selected a priori. Studies were reviewed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: Of 11 394 articles identified, 58 met inclusion criteria. Reported prevalence was highly heterogeneous, ranging from 5% to 65% for anxiety (pooled prevalence 21% [95% CI, 13%-35%]), 7% to 91% for depression (pooled prevalence 28% [95% CI, 23%-35%]), and 4% to 75% for PTSD (pooled prevalence 26% [95% CI, 22%-32%]). Prevalence was consistently higher than noncancer parental controls. Heterogeneity was not explained by parental gender or child's cancer phase and was instead likely due to significant methodological differences in measurement tools and defined thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with cancer have a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and PTSD compared with population controls. Yet, the reported prevalence of mental illness was highly variable, hampering any conclusive findings on absolute prevalence. To better understand the risk of long-term mental illness in this population and target interventions, future studies must adhere to standardized reporting and methods.
Authors: Keun Hye Jeon; In Young Choi; In Young Cho; Dong Wook Shin; Ji Won Lee; Hee Jo Baek; Nack-Gyun Chung; Ki Woong Sung; Yun-Mi Song Journal: J Cancer Surviv Date: 2021-11-06 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Julia Baenziger; Katharina Roser; Luzius Mader; Erika Harju; Marc Ansari; Nicolas Waespe; Katrin Scheinemann; Gisela Michel Journal: J Psychosoc Oncol Res Pract Date: 2020-07-28
Authors: Carolyn R Bates; Diane Fairclough; Robert B Noll; Maru E Barrera; Mary Jo Kupst; Anna M Egan; Maria A Gartstein; Emily L Ach; Cynthia A Gerhardt; Kathryn Vannatta Journal: Pediatr Blood Cancer Date: 2022-01-19 Impact factor: 3.167
Authors: Carmen Pozo Muñoz; Blanca Bretones Nieto; María Ángeles Vázquez López Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-11-29 Impact factor: 3.390