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Characterizing Lone Parenting: A Multi-Institutional Pilot Study of the Perceptions of Support and Perceived Stress of Lone Parents of Children With Cancer


N/A
18 Years
65 Years
Open (Enrolling)
Both
Cancer

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Trial Information

Characterizing Lone Parenting: A Multi-Institutional Pilot Study of the Perceptions of Support and Perceived Stress of Lone Parents of Children With Cancer


Background:

- Research examining the potential impact of childhood chronic illness on parents and
families has delineated a myriad of stressors that parents may experience, including
financial stress, role strains, separations, interruptions in daily routines and plans
for the future, and general uncertainty regarding the child's prognosis.

- All of these possible experiences may lead directly and indirectly to anxiety,
depression, posttraumatic-stress, hopelessness, and feelings of loss of control in
parents and families.

- The number of families headed by single, or lone parents has increased significantly,
with 3 in 10 children now living in single parent homes.

- It is not known whether distress is greater for parents who are lone parents.

- Lone-parent families earn on average only 55% of what married-parent families earn, and
are four times more likely to live in poverty.

- It is unclear how lone parents trying to navigate the complex needs of maintaining a
home, family, and a chronically ill child adapt to these challenges.

- It is also unclear how many parents who check single on a standardized forced choice
questionnaire format consider themselves to be lone when it comes to the experience
of caring for their child with cancer.

Objective:

- Aim 1: To define and characterize lone parents

- Aim 2: To describe perceptions of social support and how they relate to lone and
non-lone parenting

- Aim 3: To identify distress outcomes in parents of children with cancer who identify
themselves as being lone when it comes to the experience of caring for a child with
cancer

Study Population:

English and Spanish speaking parents of a child (1through 17 years) with a malignancy,
diagnosed 6-18 months before recruitment will be invited to participate in this study.

Design:

-This is a pilot, exploratory study designed to describe the perceptions of support and
distress outcomes of single/lone parents of a child with cancer. Participants will be
administered a Lone Parent Support Questionnaire designed for this study. The study will be
completed in one visit (< 30mins).

Inclusion Criteria


- INCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. Parents or primary guardians of children (ages 6 months through 17 years) with
any malignancy whose child is 6-18 months post-diagnosis.

2. Ability to give informed consent.

3. English or Spanish speaking

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. Severe psychological distress which - in the judgment of the Principal or Associate
Investigators at each respective collection site- would compromise the participant's
ability to understand the questionnaire or is likely to interfere with the study
procedures or results.

2. Relapse of malignancy

Type of Study:

Observational

Study Design:

Time Perspective: Prospective

Principal Investigator

Maryland Pao, M.D.

Investigator Role:

Principal Investigator

Investigator Affiliation:

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Authority:

United States: Federal Government

Study ID:

090194

NCT ID:

NCT00969579

Start Date:

August 2009

Completion Date:

Related Keywords:

  • Cancer
  • Cancer
  • Psychosocial Stress
  • Parenting

Name

Location

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland  20892
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, New York  10021
University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, Mississippi  39216-4505
Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin  53226
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Memphis, Tennessee  38105-2794
Akron Children's Hospital Akron, Ohio  44308-1062
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama  35294-3300
Dana Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts  02115
Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, California  90806
Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma