Parents’ psychological well-being when a child has cancer: Contribution of individual and family factors

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine the contribution of individual (positive reappraisal) and family factors (parenting satisfaction, couple relationship quality, and family life difficulty) to the psychological well-being of parents of children/adolescents diagnosed with cancer. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at two pediatric oncology wards in Portugal. Two-hundred and five parents of pediatric cancer patients completed self-report questionnaires assessing the use of positive reappraisal as a coping strategy (Ways of Coping Questionnaire), parenting satisfaction (Parenting Sense of Competence Scale), relationship quality (Perceived Relationship Quality Components Inventory), family life difficulty (Family Management Measure), and psychological well-being (Ryff’s Psychological Well-being scales). Sociodemographic and clinical data were also assessed. Results: Standard multiple regression analysis showed a significant contribution of both individual and family-level factors to parents’ psychological well-being. Specifically, the use of positive reappraisal as a coping strategy, parenting satisfaction, and relationship quality were associated with higher psychological well-being; conversely, family life difficulty was linked to lower psychological well-being. Conclusions: The findings of this study provide an important contribution to the identification of parents at higher risk for poor psychological well-being. Screening and addressing both individual- and family-level aspects may be crucial to foster parents’ mental health when a child is diagnosed with an oncological disease.