DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG PARENTS OF NEWLY-DIAGNOSED CHILDREN WITH CANCER - A 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

Fifty-five parents of children with cancer participating in a longitud inal prospective study of adjustment to treatment were assessed 6 mont hs postdiagnosis. Initial parent depressive symptoms subsided somewhat , but depressive symptoms remained a problem for a subset of parents w hose initial response was in the moderate-to-severe range of depressiv e symptoms. Spouse support, in the form of instrumental support, along with the number of general behavioral problems exhibited by children were most strongly predictive of persistent disruption to parent mood. The results suggest that parents who report moderate-to-severe depres sive symptoms might benefit from early intervention that includes beha vioral strategies to improve child behavior and encouragement of a gre ater level of spouse involvement in caregiving tasks.