2015 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology

Helping Parents with Advanced Cancer to Talk with their Children

Speakers: Jane Turner MD and Paula Rauch MD

The emotional impact of advanced cancer is considerable. However for parents of dependent children the grief is compounded by uncertainty about what to say to their children and lack of information about what they can do to help their children to cope. The desire of parents to protect their children from distress can lead to avoidance which compounds children’s anxiety. Young children typically express this anxiety behaviourally which in turn increases parental distress. Caring for parents with advanced cancer who have dependent children is described as particularly stressful for oncologists who may lack knowledge about ways of assisting parents. 

This workshop provides practical information about the impact of parental advanced cancer for children in different age groups, and presents evidence about children’s response to parental death. There will be discussion and practical demonstrations of ways of engaging parents to feel more confident about responding to their children, drawing on the evidence about factors associated with resilience in children facing adversity. Participants will be invited to engage in discussion about clinical challenges they have faced and explore strategies for responding. There will be discussion about ways of engaging with other members of the multidisciplinary team to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence in responding to the concerns of parents with advanced cancer about their children.

Handouts, supporting resources and relevant papers will be provided to workshop attendees.

1. The attendee will be able to describe the emotional impact of parental cancer for children of different developmental stages
2. The attendee will be able to describe the responses of children to parental death
3. The attendee will be able to describe factors demonstrated to be associated with resilience in children facing adversity
4. The attendee will demonstrate skills in discussing ways parents with advanced cancer can help their children to cope
5. The attendee will demonstrate knowledge about ways of assisting colleagues to support parents with advanced cancer