Factors Affecting Family Management Among Chinese Parents of Children With Leukemia: A Multisite Study

Effective family management can improve the ability of children's families to cope with the disease. However, the family management styles of children with leukemia are unknown.

This study used a family management style framework and structural equation model to determine the direct and indirect predictors of family management of children with leukemia.

A total of 496 parents of children with leukemia completed the Family Management Measure, the Feetham Family Functioning Survey, the Social Support Rating Scale, and a demographic family information form. We used structural equation modeling to explore the direct and indirect effects of the study variables on family management styles.

Family functioning, family income, parental education level, and geographic location affect family management directly, among which family functioning has the most significant coefficient in the model (0.53). Siblings and social support can affect family management through the mediating effect of family functioning. Employment change can directly affect family management (-0.27) and indirectly affect family functioning (-0.08).

Our results support the family management style framework. Individual and family factors such as family income, parental education level, geographic location, employment change, siblings, and social support contribute to the ease or difficulty of family management. In addition, family functioning can also mediate between contextual influences and family management styles.

Family functioning plays a vital role in relationships between contextual influences and family management. We can construct family management interventions according to family management influencing factors.