Social support and psychological distress of parents of children with acute lymphocytic leukaemia.

The relationship between psychological distress and social support was evaluated in 26 parents of children with acute lymphocytic leukaemia during the diagnostic phase. The Symptom Distress Checklist and the Social Support Questionnaire were used. A high percentage of subjects reported a score of moderate psychological distress in four subscales of the Symptom Checklist: Obsessiveness-Compulsiveness (46 per cent), Depression (61.5 per cent), Anxiety (65 per cent) and Sleep Disturbances (57.5 per cent). Social support for parents was found to have a "buffering' effect on the impact of the stress occasioned by the diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukaemia in a child.