Affiliation:
1. Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine University of Lucerne Lucerne Switzerland
2. Childhood Cancer Research Group Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine University of Bern Bern Switzerland
3. Cancer Registry Bern‐Solothurn University of Bern Bern Switzerland
4. Department of Pediatrics Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta Georgia USA
5. School of Clinical Medicine UNSW Medicine & Health Randwick Clinical Campus Discipline of Paediatrics UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
6. Behavioural Sciences Unit Kids Cancer Centre Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick New South Wales Australia
7. Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Department of Pediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland
8. Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology University Children's Hospital Bern Inselspital Bern Switzerland
Abstract
AbstractObjectivePost‐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.MethodsCCS‐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.ResultsIn 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.ConclusionsOur 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.
Funder
Swiss National Science Foundation
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health,Oncology,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology