TY - JOUR
T1 - Family Functioning and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adolescent Survivors of Childhood Cancer
AU - Alderfer, Melissa A.
AU - Navsaria, Neha
AU - Kazak, Anne E.
PY - 2009/10
Y1 - 2009/10
N2 - This study investigated family functioning and relationships between family functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer. To assess family functioning, 144 adolescent cancer survivors 1 to 12 years post-cancer treatment (M = 5.3 years) and their parents completed the Family Assessment Device (FAD). To assess PTSD, adolescents were administered a structured diagnostic interview. Nearly half (47%) of the adolescents, one fourth (25%) of mothers, and one third (30%) of fathers reported poor family functioning, exceeding the clinical cutoff on 4 or more FAD subscales. Families in which the cancer survivor had PTSD (8% of the sample) had poorer functioning than other families in the areas of problem solving, affective responsiveness, and affective involvement. Three fourths of the adolescents with PTSD came from families with categorically poor family functioning. A surprisingly high rate of poor family functioning was reported in these families of adolescent cancer survivors. Adolescents with PTSD were more than 5 times as likely to emerge from a poorly functioning family compared with a well-functioning one. This study provides evidence that family functioning is related to cancer-related posttraumatic reactions in adolescent survivors.
AB - This study investigated family functioning and relationships between family functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer. To assess family functioning, 144 adolescent cancer survivors 1 to 12 years post-cancer treatment (M = 5.3 years) and their parents completed the Family Assessment Device (FAD). To assess PTSD, adolescents were administered a structured diagnostic interview. Nearly half (47%) of the adolescents, one fourth (25%) of mothers, and one third (30%) of fathers reported poor family functioning, exceeding the clinical cutoff on 4 or more FAD subscales. Families in which the cancer survivor had PTSD (8% of the sample) had poorer functioning than other families in the areas of problem solving, affective responsiveness, and affective involvement. Three fourths of the adolescents with PTSD came from families with categorically poor family functioning. A surprisingly high rate of poor family functioning was reported in these families of adolescent cancer survivors. Adolescents with PTSD were more than 5 times as likely to emerge from a poorly functioning family compared with a well-functioning one. This study provides evidence that family functioning is related to cancer-related posttraumatic reactions in adolescent survivors.
KW - adolescents
KW - cancer survivors
KW - family functioning
KW - posttraumatic stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70350130995&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/a0015996
DO - 10.1037/a0015996
M3 - Article
C2 - 19803607
AN - SCOPUS:70350130995
VL - 23
SP - 717
EP - 725
JO - Journal of Family Psychology
JF - Journal of Family Psychology
SN - 0893-3200
IS - 5
ER -