TY - JOUR A1 - Möller, B. A1 - Stegemann, T. A1 - Romer, Georg T1 - Psychosoziale Belastungen bei Kindern körperlich kranker Eltern: Perspektiven der seelischen Gesundheitsvorsorge JF - Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz N2 - Irrespective of their well-known increased risk for mental health problems, children of somatically ill parents are a clinically underserved as well as under-researched group. In this article, the authors introduce the epidemiologic and clinical relevance of this topic and present a theoretical framework for understanding the sequelae of a serious parental illness on minor-age children, based on family dynamics and developmental concepts. This is followed by a comprehensive review of current empirical studies in this field, with a special emphasis on results from a transnational European collaborative study (COSIP = Children of Somatically Ill Parents), which was coordinated by the last author. The most important recommendations from intervention concepts published to date are summarized. Some outlooks for clinical practice as well as future research are presented. KW - Adaptation KW - Psychological KW - Adolescent KW - Anxiety Disorders/epidemiology/prevention {\&} control/psychology KW - Child KW - Child of Impaired Parents/psychology KW - Child Reactive Disorders/epidemiology/prevention {\&} control/psychology KW - Preschool KW - Cross-Cultural Comparison KW - Cross-Sectional Studies KW - Depressive Disorder/epidemiology/prevention {\&} control/psychology KW - Developmental Disabilities/epidemiology/prevention {\&} control/psychology KW - Family Relations KW - Family Therapy KW - Female KW - Germany KW - Health Education KW - Health Surveys KW - Humans KW - Infant KW - Newborn KW - Pregnancy KW - Risk Factors KW - Somatoform Disorders/epidemiology/prevention {\&} control/psychology KW - Stress KW - Psychological/complications Y1 - 2008 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00103-008-0542-5 SN - 1436-9990 VL - 51 SP - 657 EP - 663 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krattenmacher, Thomas A1 - Kühne, Franziska A1 - Ernst, Johanna A1 - Bergelt, Corinna A1 - Romer, Georg A1 - Möller, Birgit T1 - Parental cancer: factors associated with children's psychosocial adjustment - a systematic review JF - Journal of psychosomatic research N2 - OBJECTIVE Children of cancer patients have an increased risk of developing psychosocial problems. But not all children are alike vulnerable to this stressful event. Thus, knowledge of risk and protective factors is required to design specific diagnostic tools and interventions for this vulnerable population. This study aims to provide a review and methodological evaluation of current studies examining factors associated with children's psychosocial adjustment when a parent has cancer. METHODS Four databases were systematically searched for quantitative research articles examining associative factors of children's adjustment. Study characteristics were analyzed and methodological quality was assessed by two independent reviewers. RESULTS 28 studies examining associative factors in 2896 families were identified. The included studies used a broad range of instruments assessing children's adjustment. Most patients were female breast cancer patients with middle to high socio-economic status. The majority of included studies used correlational approaches and cross-sectional designs. None of the studies examined toddlers or assessed children's quality of life. Across studies with low to high quality, we found no evidence of illness-related factors, except worse disease status that was related to lower adjustment. Evidence from moderate to high quality studies suggest that better family functioning indicates better adjustment, whereas parent's depressive mood indicates worse adjustment of the children. Child-related factors were inconsistent. CONCLUSION Health professionals should pay attention to cancer patients' dependent children. In order to identify this at-risk population, parent's depressive mood and poor family functioning should be considered. Future studies should also assess children's quality of life and child-related factors. KW - Adaptation KW - Psychological KW - Child KW - Humans KW - Neoplasms/psychology KW - Parents/psychology KW - Social Adjustment Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2012.01.011 VL - 72 SP - 344 EP - 356 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krattenmacher, Thomas A1 - Kühne, Franziska A1 - Führer, Daniel A1 - Ernst, Johanna A1 - Brähler, Elmar A1 - Herzog, Wolfgang A1 - Klitzing, Kai A1 - Flechtner, Hans-Henning A1 - Bergelt, Corinna A1 - Romer, Georg A1 - Möller, Birgit T1 - Kinder krebskranker Eltern - elterliches Coping, familiäres Funktionsniveau und psychosoziale Anpassung der Kinder JF - Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie N2 - Children exposed to parental cancer have an increased risk of mental health problems. However, the parental illness itself and its features do not predict children's psychological adjustment. Parent- and family-related factors are more predictive for children's well-being and the incidence of psychopathological symptoms, respectively. This study focuses on parental ways of coping with illness from both, the ill and healthy parent's perspective, and the relationship with family functioning and children's adjustment. Results show a significant impact of parental coping styles on children's health-related quality of life and psychopathological symptoms and, furthermore, that this relationship is mediated by aspects of family functioning. This study support the importance of family systems approaches. Implications for further studies and practical issues are discussed. KW - Adaptation KW - Psychological KW - Adolescent KW - Adult KW - Child KW - Child of Impaired Parents/psychology KW - Preschool KW - Family Relations KW - Female KW - Germany KW - Humans KW - Male KW - Neoplasms/psychology KW - Parents/psychology KW - Quality of Life/psychology KW - Social Adjustment KW - Surveys and Questionnaires Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.13109/prkk.2012.61.6.447 SN - 0032-7034 VL - 61 SP - 447 EP - 462 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bergelt, Corinna A1 - Ernst, Johanna Christine A1 - Beierlein, Volker A1 - Inhestern, Laura A1 - Holes, Sarah A1 - Möller, Birgit A1 - Romer, Georg A1 - Koch, Uwe T1 - Reaktive Veränderungen in Befinden und Verhalten von Kindern bei elterlicher Krebserkrankung--Ergebnisse einer epidemiologischen Patientenbefragung JF - Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie N2 - Children of cancer patients are at risk for developing psychological symptoms. The parental appraisal of the child's psychological condition is a key variable for the utilization of child-centred psychosocial services. This study aimed at the systematic analysis of parental appraisals of changes in the emotional condition or behaviour of their children. We conducted an epidemiologic survey with a sample size of 1,809 patients with different cancer diagnoses, giving information about 2,581 children aged 21 years or younger at time of diagnosis. Quantitative information on children's distress during the disease and on changes in psychological condition or behaviour and qualitative information on the kind of changes were analysed. About half of the children were considered to be psychologically strongly affected during the disease. For about 25 % negative changes in psychological condition or behaviour are reported, positive changes are reported for 20 % of the children. Negative changes are most frequently described in young children (up to five years), positive changes are most frequently described in young adults (18 to 21 years). The results indicate that from the cancer parent's view many children are substantially distressed. Thus, the implementation of additional preventive psychosocial services seems reasonable and necessary. KW - Adolescent KW - Adult KW - Child KW - Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis/epidemiology/psychology KW - Child of Impaired Parents/psychology KW - Child Reactive Disorders/diagnosis/epidemiology/psychology KW - Preschool KW - Cross-Sectional Studies KW - Female KW - Germany KW - Health Surveys KW - Humans KW - Infant KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Neoplasms/epidemiology/psychology KW - Personality Assessment KW - Resilience KW - Psychological KW - Young Adult Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.13109/prkk.2012.61.6.378 SN - 0032-7034 VL - 61 SP - 378 EP - 395 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bultmann, Johanna Christine A1 - Beierlein, Volker A1 - Romer, Georg A1 - Möller, Birgit A1 - Koch, Uwe A1 - Bergelt, Corinna T1 - Parental cancer: Health-related quality of life and current psychosocial support needs of cancer survivors and their children JF - International journal of cancer N2 - The presence of cancer and additional parental responsibilities can increase strain for individual patients as well as for their children. The construct of health-related quality of life (HRQL) is appropriate to measure a combination of physical, mental and social consequences as a result of disease. However, previous research has merely focused on symptom checklists. This study addresses the following questions: (i) does HRQL in children and their parents with cancer differ compared to the general population? (ii) Are there any variables that are associated with HRQL in children? (iii) What are current psychosocial support needs? A population-based survey of 976 survivors (<6 years post diagnosis) with minor children between 6 and 18 years (n = 1,449) was conducted with two German cancer registries. HRQL was assessed using SF-8 (survivors) and Kidscreen (children). The results were compared to normative populations, and predictors associated with HRQL in children were evaluated within a multilevel model. We found that the HRQL in children was better compared to the norm. Only children with support needs had worse HRQL. Older age, having a mother with cancer, having a parent not living together with a partner, and worse parental physical and mental health influenced HRQL in children. Illness characteristics were irrelevant. Even with a mean of 3.5 years after diagnosis, survivors had lower physical and mental health compared to the norm. Our findings reinforce the need for health professionals to pay attention to younger patients and their children. Even years after diagnosis, life might not have returned to normal. KW - Adolescent KW - Adult KW - Child KW - Child Health Services KW - Cross-Sectional Studies KW - Female KW - Follow-Up Studies KW - Health Services Needs and Demand KW - Health Status KW - Humans KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Needs Assessment KW - Neoplasms/psychology KW - Parents/psychology KW - Prognosis KW - Psychology KW - Quality of Life KW - Social Support KW - Stress KW - Psychological KW - Surveys and Questionnaires KW - Survivors/psychology Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.28905 VL - 135 SP - 2668 EP - 2677 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Inhestern, Laura A1 - Beierlein, Volker A1 - Bultmann, Johanna Christine A1 - Möller, Birgit A1 - Romer, Georg A1 - Koch, Uwe A1 - Bergelt, Corinna T1 - Anxiety and depression in working-age cancer survivors: a register-based study JF - BMC cancer N2 - BACKGROUND Anxiety and depression can be a long-term strain in cancer survivors. Little is known about the emotional situation of cancer survivors who have to deal with work- and family-related issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate anxiety and depression in working-age cancer survivors and associated factors. METHODS A register-based sample of 3370 cancer survivors (25 to 55 years at time of diagnosis) diagnosed up to six years prior to the survey was recruited from two German cancer registries. Demographic and medical characteristics as well as self-reported measures were used. RESULTS Overall, approximately 40% of the survivors reported moderate to high anxiety scores and approximately 20% reported moderate to high depression scores. Compared to the general population, working-age cancer survivors were more anxious but less depressed (p < .001). Subgroups with regard to time since diagnosis did not differ in anxiety or depression. Anxiety and depression in cancer survivors were associated with various variables. Better social support, family functioning and physical health were associated with lower anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we found higher anxiety levels in cancer survivors of working-age than in the general population. A considerable portion of cancer survivors reported moderate to high levels of anxiety and depression. The results indicate the need for psychosocial screening and psycho-oncological support e.g. in survivorship programs for working-age cancer survivors. Assessing the physical health, social support and family background might help to identify survivors at risk for higher emotional distress. KW - Adaptation KW - Psychological KW - Adult KW - Anxiety/epidemiology/etiology/pathology/psychology KW - Cancer Survivors/psychology KW - Depression/epidemiology/etiology/pathology/psychology KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Neoplasms/complications/epidemiology/pathology/psychology KW - Quality of Life KW - Registries KW - Social Support Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12885-017-3347-9 VL - 17 SP - 347 ER -