Ml. Stuber et al., IS POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS A VIABLE MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING RESPONSES TOCHILDHOOD-CANCER, Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America, 7(1), 1998, pp. 169
Life-threatening illness has long been considered a major stressor for
children and their parents. Recently, changes in the conceptualizatio
n of posttraumatic stress have led to the application of a trauma mode
l to medical illness. This article examines the evidence for the utili
ty of a trauma model for understanding the long-term impact of childho
od cancer on survivors and their parents, and discusses the theoretic
and practical implications of the model.