Title | Patterns of Spillover Between Marital Adjustment and Parent-Child Conflict During Pediatric Cancer Treatment. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2018 |
Authors | Fladeboe K, Gurtovenko K, Keim M, Kawamura J, King KM, Friedman DL, Compas BE, Breiger D, Lengua LJ, Katz LFainsilber |
Journal | J Pediatr Psychol |
Date Published | 2018 Mar 17 |
ISSN | 1465-735X |
Abstract | Objective: When a child is diagnosed with cancer, problems may arise in family relationships and negatively affect child adjustment. The current study examined patterns of spillover between marital and parent-child relationships to identify targets for intervention aimed at ameliorating family conflict. Method: Families (N = 117) were recruited from two US children's hospitals within 2-week postdiagnosis to participate in a short-term prospective longitudinal study. Children with cancer were 2-10 years old (M = 5.42 years, SD = 2.59). Primary caregivers provided reports of marital and parent-child conflict at 1-, 6-, and 12-month postdiagnosis. Results: Results indicated that a unidirectional model of spillover from the marital to the parent-child relationship best explained the data. In terms of specific temporal patterns, lower marital adjustment soon after diagnosis was associated with an increase in parent-child conflict 6 months later, though this pattern was not repeated in the latter 6 months of treatment. Conclusion: Targeting problems in marital relationships soon after diagnosis may prevent conflict from developing in the parent-child relationship. |
DOI | 10.1093/jpepsy/jsy011 |
Alternate Journal | J Pediatr Psychol |
PubMed ID | 29562288 |
Submitted by kej2006 on June 6, 2018 - 4:13pm