Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.6 Issue.2

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.24.2.04

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

Stress, Caregiving Burden and Family Functioning in Families Whose Children Have Been Diagnosed with Cancer

Çocuklarına Kanser Teşhisi Konmuş Ailelerde Stres, Bakım Verme Yükü ve Aile İşlevselliği

Çağla Özkan1, Gönül Taşçıoğlu2, Hande Çelikay Söyler3

Abstract:

Getting a child diagnosed with cancer is an extremely challenging process for families. With the stress and change in care during this process, the family’s recovery continues significantly.In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between stress levels, caregiving burden and family functioning of families with children diagnosed with cancer. The study was designed in a quantitative research model and was conducted using the relational survey method. The population of the study consisted of families of children diagnosed in hospitals with pediatric oncology and/or hematology clinics in Turkey and Cyprus. The research data were collected from parents with children diagnosed with cancer, and 140 participants (131 women, 9 men) between the ages of 24-52 were included in the study. Socio-Demographic Information Form, Caregiving Burden Scale, Perceived Stress Scale and Family Assessment Scale were applied to the participants to collect the research data. As a result of the study, statistically significant differences were found between the “Burden of Caregiving Scale” scores of the parents according to gender, education level, employment status and income level. Similarly, statistically significant differences were found between the overall scores of the “Perceived Stress Scale” and the scores of perception of inadequate self-efficacy and perception of stress/discomfort in the scale according to the negative impact on the relationship with the spouse. In this context, it may be recommended to provide support programs and counseling services to reduce the stress levels of families with children with cancer, to provide support and guidance to parents accompanying hospitalized children, and to re-evaluate state policies for caregivers of children with chronic diseases.

Keywords: Childhood cancers, Stress, Caregiving burden, Family functioning

1MSc, Near East University, Department of Psychology, Nicosia-TRN Cyprus, e-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id; 0009-0003-1512-2107

2Asist. Prof. Dr., University of Kyrenia, Department of Psychology, Kyrenia-TRN Cyprus, e-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id; 0000-0001-7334-9586

3Assoc. Prof. Dr., Near East University, Department of Psychology, Nicosia-TRN Cyprus, e-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id; 0000-0001-6735-1321

Address of Correpondence/Yazışma Adresi: Çağla Özkan, Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi Psikoloji Bölümü Lefkoşa, Cyprus e-mail: [email protected]  

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 13.09.2024, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 08.05.2024, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 11.06.2024, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 26.06.2024

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Özkan, Ç., Taşçıoğlu, G., & Söyler, H. Ç. (2024). Stress, Caregiving Burden and Family Functioning in Families Whose Children Have Been Diagnosed with Cancer Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 6(2): 137-146

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/