PARENTS ATTRIBUTIONS ABOUT CHILDHOOD-CANCER - IMPLICATIONS FOR RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEDICAL STAFF

Improvements in therapy have resulted in increasing numbers of childre n being successfully treated for cancer. However, the aggressiveness o f therapy and uncertainty about prognosis are associated with many adv erse effects, psychological as well as physical, for both the child an d family. This study investigates family coping with treatment in rela tion to attributions about cause and responsibility for onset of the d isease. We interviewed parents of 30 children with cancer (28 mothers and 23 fathers) about their attributions of causality, and perceptions of responsibility for the diagnosis and care of the child. Coping str ategies which were found to be helpful were assessed using the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP). Fathers were more likely than mot hers to accept that there was no known cause for the child's illness. Fathers who blamed doctors for failing to diagnose the condition found medical staff less helpful up to 2 years later. The theoretical impor tance of blaming others more than oneself is discussed, along with pra ctical implications for services in paediatric oncology.