On Being a Child of an Ill Parent

Abstract

Cancer in a parent has a devastating effect on the psychological well-being of the children. In this comparative study, we examined the hypothesis that children who have a parent suffering from cancer experience greater difficulty in terms of psychological adaptation than children with a parent suffering from another chronic pathology. A group of 52 children of parents with cancer was compared with a group of 50 children whose parents were suffering from another chronic disease (respiratory insufficiency, diabetes) (mean age = 12.3 ± 2.8 years, 46 boys, 56 girls). All the children took part in a Rorschach Comprehensive System examination. Results showed that the children who had a parent suffering from cancer exhibited a higher number of signs of anxiety and depressive affects as well as reduced self-esteem. These difficulties were more pronounced in the case of girls and when it was the mother who was suffering from cancer. These results confirm the data reported in the literature in a large sample and using an indirect performance-based evaluation method. They emphasize the need to develop specific interventions which take account of the gender of the child and the ill parent.