HHS HealthBeat (February 21, 2006)

Kids, parents and cancer.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

When a child gets cancer, a parent's life gets bound up in fighting the disease. And even when the child survives, a parent's stress can continue.

Anne Kazak of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia looked at symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in parents of children undergoing treatment and parents of survivors. Flashbacks – unwanted mental returns to the trauma – were common.

Kazak says parents, especially while a child is treated, need to take some time for their own needs:

"You're a better parent if you're taking care of yourself and taking the time to have some periods when you are doing things that are important for yourself." (eight seconds)

These include getting rest and talking with other family members.

Kazak's study of parents of survivors was supported by the National Institutes of Health. It's in the Journal of Family Psychology.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011