Parental coping with retinoblastoma diagnosis

To characterize coping and distress among parents of children with retinoblastoma, and to uncover their association with perceived health literacy, self-efficacy, and social support.

This was a cross-sectional study performed in the retinoblastoma clinics of Beijing Children's Hospital, Jilin Eye Hospital and Changchun Hospital in China. Parents of children with retinoblastoma (n = 104) completed a print Mandarin language questionnaire consisting of four sections: (i) demographic information, (ii) mini-mental adjustment to cancer scale, (iii) hospital anxiety and depression scale, and (iv) perceived health literacy, self-efficacy, and social support scales. Scores were tabulated for each measure and analyzed by bivariate correlation.

Moderate anxiety affected 59.2% of parents, and 77.7% experienced low, moderate, or high levels of depression. Combined anxiety and depression was positively correlated with helplessness/hopelessness (R = 0.42, p < .01) and anxious preoccupation (R = 0.247, p < .05), and negatively correlated with perceived self-efficacy (R = -0.228, p < .05). Perceived social support from a partner was negatively correlated with depression (R = -0.207, p < .05) and helplessness/hopelessness (R = -0.271, p < .01).

Knowledge of how parents cope with their child's cancer diagnosis can help healthcare teams understand how best to support their psychosocial needs.