Korean J Child Health Nurs.  2003 Jan;9(1):9-17.

Perceived Social Support as a Predictor on Adaptation of Family Who has a Child with Pediatric Cancer

• Tak YR
• Yun EH
• Chon YS
• An JY

Abstract

Families of children with cancer face many illness-related demands. The perceived social support is a critical resource for the family adaptation process. And the patterns of family adaptation to childhood cancer varies as characteristics of disease, which is prognosis, the influence of cognition function, and treatment process. The conceptual definition of social support is not unidimensional. However, most studies focus on general aspect of mediating effects on adaptation. Diverse dimensions of perceived social support should be considered in its effectiveness for intervention. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine whether family's perceived social support influences the family adaptation of family with pediatric cancer and what dimension influences mostly in family adaptation as the characteristics of disease in the family of children with cancer. The subject was consisted of 102 families with pediatric cancer who had been diagnosed as leukemia or brain tumor last 2 years. Those families had participated in the education program or meetings for family who have with pediatric cancer children. The measurement for this study were Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) Part- ll developed by Brandt and Weinert to measure parents' perceived social support, and the McCubbin's Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) to measure family coping. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; Regression analysis showed that perceived social support has effect on family adaptation with beta=.43, p < .01. In the group of family of child with leukemia, social support as general has effect on adaptation (beta=.40, p < .01) and specially, social support perceived as intimacy was strongly effect on family adaptation. And In the group of brain tumor, Social support has effect on adaptation(beta=.46, p < .01) and among the social support domains, the self esteem dimension was most predictable to family adaptation. In conclusion, the perceived social support is a predictor on family adaptation and useful vehicle to help family who has child with pediatric cancer. An important clinical implication is that specified support program for intervention may be useful and critical for the family who has diverse pediatric conditions of childhood cancer. Further studies should stress the effects of family support for clinical intervention and is needed with diverse stage of development and pediatric conditions.

MeSH Terms

Brain Neoplasms
Child*
Cognition
Education
Humans
Leukemia
Negotiating
Parents
Prognosis
Self Concept
Child Health
Surveys and Questionnaires