Post-traumatic growth in parents of long-term childhood cancer survivors compared to the general population: A report from the Swiss childhood cancer survivor study-Parents.
Psychooncology
; 33(1): e6246, 2024 Jan.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38047716
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Post-traumatic growth (PTG) describes perceived positive changes following a traumatic event. We describe (i) PTG in parents of long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS-parents) compared to parents of similar-aged children of the general population (comparison-parents), (ii) normative data for the Swiss population, and (iii) psychological, socio-economic, and event-related characteristics associated with PTG.METHODS:
CCS-parents (aged ≤16 years at diagnosis, ≥20 years old at study, registered in the Childhood Cancer Registry Switzerland (ChCR), and the Swiss population responded to a paper-based survey, including the PTG-Inventory (total score 0-105). We carried out (i) t-tests, (ii) descriptive statistics, and (iii) multilevel regression models with survivor/household as the cluster variable.RESULTS:
In total, 746 CCS-parents (41.7% fathers, response-rate = 42.3%) of 494 survivors (median time since diagnosis 24 (7-40) years), 411 comparison-parents (42.8% fathers, 312 households), and 1069 individuals of the Swiss population (40.7% male, response-rate = 20.1%) participated. Mean [M] total PTG was in CCS-parents M = 52.3 versus comparison-parents M = 50.4, p = 0.078; and in the Swiss population M = 44.5). CCS-parents showed higher 'relating-to-others' (18.4 vs. 17.3, p = 0.010), 'spiritual-change' (3.3 vs. 3.0, p = 0.038) and 'appreciation-of-life' (9.3 vs. 8.4, p = 0.027) than comparison-parents, but not in 'new-possibilities' and 'personal-strength'. Female gender, older age, higher post-traumatic stress, and higher resilience were positively associated with PTG. Individuals reporting events not typically classified as traumatic also reported growth.CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings highlight that mothers and fathers can experience heightened growth many years after their child's illness. Being able to sensitively foreshadow the potential for new-possibilities and personal development may help support parents in developing a sense of hope.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos
/
Sobreviventes de Câncer
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Crescimento Psicológico Pós-Traumático
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Neoplasias
Limite:
Adult
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Psychooncology
Assunto da revista:
NEOPLASIAS
/
PSICOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Suíça