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

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).