@article{ErnstBeierleinRomeretal.2013, author = {Ernst, Johanna Christine and Beierlein, Volker and Romer, Georg and M{\"o}ller, Birgit and Koch, Uwe and Bergelt, Corinna}, title = {Use and need for psychosocial support in cancer patients: a population-based sample of patients with minor children}, series = {Cancer}, volume = {119}, journal = {Cancer}, doi = {10.1002/cncr.28021}, pages = {2333 -- 2341}, year = {2013}, abstract = {BACKGROUND Cancer patients and their minor children have been shown to experience psychological distress. The objectives of the current study were to 1) describe the need for and use of psychosocial support and 2) determine predictors of family-centered support use in patients with minor children. METHODS A population-based sample of 1809 patients was recruited via 2 cancer registries. The eligibility criteria were age 25 years to 55 years, an initial diagnosis received no longer than 6 years before this survey, and having at least 1 minor child. Medical characteristics and self-report measures were used. RESULTS Overall, approximately 38\% cases were identified as being borderline or probable anxiety cases and 16\% were identified as being borderline or probable depression cases. Since diagnosis, 44\% of the patients had used psychosocial support and 9\% had received family-focused and child-focused support. These patients perceived a lower quality of life and poorer family functioning. Approximately 73\% of patients with children wanted information concerning or psychosocial services to support their children or parenting. Use of family-centered support was not found to be predicted by disease-related factors (eg, cancer staging) but rather by subjective needs (eg, mental health and having a distressed child in the family). CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study emphasize the importance of child and parenting concerns in psychosocial care in oncology. Screenings for children and appropriate training programs for health care may increase awareness of this issue.}, subject = {Adult}, language = {en} } @article{BeierleinBultmannMoelleretal.2017, author = {Beierlein, Volker and Bultmann, Johanna Christine and M{\"o}ller, Birgit and Klitzing, Kai and Flechtner, Hans-Henning and Resch, Franz and Herzog, Wolfgang and Br{\"a}hler, Elmar and F{\"u}hrer, Daniel and Romer, Georg and Koch, Uwe and Bergelt, Corinna}, title = {Measuring family functioning in families with parental cancer: Reliability and validity of the German adaptation of the Family Assessment Device (FAD)}, series = {Journal of psychosomatic research}, volume = {93}, journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research}, doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.11.007}, pages = {110 -- 117}, year = {2017}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE The concept of family functioning is gaining importance in psycho-oncology research and health care services. The Family Assessment Device (FAD) is a well-established measure of family functioning. Psychometric properties inherent in the German 51-item adaptation of the FAD are examined in different samples of families with parental cancer. METHODS Acceptance, reliability, and validity of FAD scales are analysed in samples from different study settings (N=1701 cancer patients, N=261 partners, N=158 dependent adolescent children 11 to 18years old). RESULTS Missing items in the FAD scales (acceptance) are rare for adults (<1.1\%) and adolescent children (<4.4\%). In samples of adults and older adolescents (15 to 18years), all FAD scales except for the Roles scale are significantly reliable (0.75≤Cronbach's α≤0.88). The scales correlate highly (0.46≤Pearson's r≤0.59) with the criterion satisfaction with family life (convergent validity), and have smaller correlations (0.16≤r≤0.49) with measures of emotional distress and subjective well-being (divergent validity). In most FAD scales, adults seeking family counselling report worse family functioning (0.24≤Cohen's d≤0.59) than adults in other samples with parental cancer (discriminative validity). CONCLUSION Overall, the German 51-item adaptation of the FAD reveals good acceptance, reliability, and validity for cancer patients and their relatives. Particularly the scale General Functioning shows excellent psychometric properties. The FAD is suitable in the assessment of families with parental cancer for adults and adolescents older than 11years.}, subject = {Adolescent}, language = {en} }