Assessment of Parental Caring for Children with Cancer on Their Quality of Life (An Assessment Study)

Abstract

Cancer is, next to accidents, the second most common cause of childhood death in developed countries. Many children, even today, consider a cancer diagnosis as a sentence of impending and painful death, with the result that it has great psychological impact on their functioning and that of their family (Granek et al., 2014). Initially, a psychological crisis is created, which cause many emotions ranging from anxiety, anger, fear of pain, loss of function, financial insecurity, and depression caused by the often emotionally paralyzing diagnosis and treatment options to despair and hopelessness (National Cancer Institute, 2012). A minor part of childhood cancers is caused by genetic factors, but the etiology of most childhood cancers remains unknown. Childhood cancers differ markedly from adult cancers in their nature, distribution and prognosis. Carcinomas are most common cancers, whereas hematological malignancies and tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) account for the majority of childhood cancers (Jayasekara et al., 2016).