Parenting with cancer I: Developmental perspective, communication, and coping

Abstract

An estimated 2.85 million children in the United States are living with a parent who has been diagnosed with cancer [1]. One-third of patients with breast cancer have dependent children [2]. For these parents, often their biggest worry is what impact their cancer will have on their children. Unfortunately, it is not common for parents to receive support from clinicians about these concerns. Our aim for this chapter is to familiarize clinicians with the common worries that parents have and empower them with strategies they can use to help support parents in this difficult time. The content discussed in this chapter is derived from the accumulated clinical experience of the team of clinicians comprising the Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT) Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) [3-21]. This chapter will present information that clinicians can use to take a parenting history, and to use a developmental perspective to guide parents at different stages of illness, including new diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life. Practical strategies for parenting challenges such as communication with children about illness, preserving family time, and harnessing support networks will be addressed so that clinicians are equipped with tools they can use to directly impact parents with cancer. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.