IMPLICATIONS OF FAMILIES ' STRUGGLES WITH CHILDHOOD- CANCER

In this chapter we integrate families ' reports of stress, coping and social support. The analysis of'research results is combined with the wisdom parents have accumulated as a result of their experience with cancer. We also discuss action parents, medical staffs, family members, and friends can take to deal with the psychosocial impact of childhood cancer. The Linkaqes of Stress, Coping, and Social Support Throughout this book we address the stresses faced by families of F' children with cancer, the many ways in which parents, youngsters, and other family members cope with the illness and its psychosocial impact, and the- varieties of social support family members reach out for and utilize. Figure 12.1 provides an overview of the ways in which different kinds of stress, coping strategies, and sources of social support may be linked. Insert Figure 12.1 about here Intellectual stresses stem from large'amounts of new and technical information, confusion and lack of clear criteria on which to make sound judgements. These stresses are especially severe in the early weeks and months of a child's illness and tend to abate somewhat as parents find effective ways to gather information. Some parents actively read about the illness and its treatments, both from highly technical medical books and articles and from publications oriented to laypersons. Hedical staff, Categor ies of S t r e s