Strategies for parents coping with children undergoing cancer treatment

Abstract

This paper is a review of literature in pediatric psychoncology, concerning studies and research published between 1996 and 2007, related to parental coping with disease and treatment. The results highlight that pediatric oncohematology treatment is associated with various changes in family dynamics, personal routine, and changes in the behavior repertoire, as a consequence of extended medical care, hospital admissions, submission to invasive procedures and antineoplasic chemotherapy protocols, as well as experiences of anxiety, doubt, fear and loss. It is still necessary to investigate, in national literature, how different coping strategies are developed by pediatric caregivers, during cancer treatment. International literature suggests that more research is needed into the process of psychosocial changes, psychological adjustment, adaptation, and changes in coping strategies, during the course of the various stages of treatment.

Caregivers; Coping behavior; Pediatric psychoncology