What is it about?

This review aims to capture the current trend of studies on family members of pediatric cancer patients in Turkey, and therefore, seeks answers to the following research question: “What are the psychosocial effects of childhood cancer on family members in Turkey?”.

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Why is it important?

In Turkey, only a few of oncology clinics provide psychological support to child patients and their families. Usually provided only by psychologists, these services are non-routine and standard throughout the country. Clinical nurses are expected to provide high-quality physical care, which, as a result, takes precedence over psychosocial care. The well-being of parents and siblings affects that of the child with cancer, and indirectly, increases the quality of care. Family-centered psychosocial care is, therefore, essential in pediatric oncology. Awareness and knowledge should be increased to improve the holistic care of pediatric cancer patients in Turkey.

Perspectives

The literature review shows that the number of studies and data quality on this area is very limited. The results indicate that parents of children with cancer in Turkey are in need of more information and social support, that mothers as primary caregivers experience much more psychosocial problems than fathers and that the number of studies on siblings is very limited.

Melike Ayça Ay
Hacettepe Universitesi

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Psychosocial Status of Turkish Families of Pediatric Cancer Patients, Journal of Transcultural Nursing, May 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1043659619849481.
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