Assessment of Psychological Distress Among Parents of Children with Cancer

Background and Aims: The diagnosis of pediatric cancer is a potentially traumatic event and a major source of psychological distress for parents.The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence and the risk factors of psychological distress among parents of children diagnosed with cancer.Methods: This is a descriptive study carried out on parents of children diagnosed with cancer and treated in the department of medical oncology at the Habib Bourguiba Hospital in Tunisia.Over a period of four months, from the beginning of December 2020 until the end of March 2021, forty-three parents (34 mothers and 9 fathers) were assessed, using psychometric scales of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress according to respectively to the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R).Results: Sixteen percent of the parents had scores indicating acute stress and 21% had scores indicating post-traumatic stress.Eighty six percent of the parents had mild to severe depression and 95% had minor to major anxiety.Post-traumatic stress and anxiety are significantly correlated with the female sex of parents.Significant correlations are also found between post-traumatic stress scores and symptoms of depression and anxiety.However, our study did not show a significant correlation between the others factors studied and the parents' psychological distress.Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders was high among parents of children diagnosed with cancer and a significant correlation was found between stress and anxiety with the female sex of parents.Our results were similar to several studies although other risk factors for psychological distress in parents of children with cancer were described in the literature.