K. von Klitzing

Coping und depressive Belastungen minderjähriger Kinder von Krebspatienten@@@Coping and depression in underage children of cancer patients: Verlaufsdaten@@@Data on the course

BACKGROUND There is increasing consideration of a family-focused perspective of the psychosocial consequences of cancer. OBJECTIVES This study examined the psychosocial situation of children and adolescents (11 to 17 years old) of cancer patients assessing their psychological distress and coping over time. METHODS A total of 110 children and adolescents were assessed post-treatment of parents with cancer (t1), 6 (t2) and 12 months (t3) after t1. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing coping (KidCope) and depressive symptoms (CES). These data were compared with a matched sample from the general population. RESULTS The children reported using a combination of coping measures. In particular, active coping was perceived as being helpful. In terms of coping, there were only small gender differences and 6 months after completion of treatment of the parents (t2), depressive symptoms of the children were still elevated. Depression diminished over time and was near the level of the comparison group at t3. CONCLUSION Children and adolescents are particularly psychologically distressed after cancer treatment of parents. This distress was connected with not helpful coping strategies. The extended adjustment of children/adolescents of cancer patients has to be considered in the clinical and psychosocial care of the families.ZusammenfassungHintergrundEine familienfokussierte Sichtweise auf die psychosozialen Folgen einer Krebserkrankung gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung.ZielDer vorliegende Beitrag untersuchte die selbsteingeschätzte psychosoziale Situation von minderjährigen Kindern/Jugendlichen (11 bis unter 18 Jahre) mit einem krebskranken Elternteil in Hinblick auf ihr Coping (KidCope) und depressive Belastung (CES).MethodeEs wurden längsschnittliche Befunde (drei Messzeitpunkte, beginnend nach der Behandlung des Krebspatienten, n [Kinder/Jugendliche] = 110) erhoben, denen Vergleichsdaten aus der Allgemeinbevölkerung gegenübergestellt wurden.ErgebnisseKinder/Jugendliche nutzten einen Mix an Copingstilen, insbesondere die Formen des aktiven Copings wurden als hilfreich wahrgenommen. Hinsichtlich des Copings gab es kaum Geschlechtsunterschiede. Depressive Belastungen zeigten sich vor allem ein halbes Jahr nach der onkologischen Behandlung des Elternteils. Über die Zeit waren depressive Belastungen rückläufig und näherten sich denen der Vergleichsgruppe an.DiskussionInsbesondere in der Zeit nach der Krebsbehandlung treten bei den Kindern/Jugendlichen Belastungen auf, die mit dem Rückgriff auf wenig hilfreiche Copingstrategien verknüpft sein können. In die klinische und psychosoziale Versorgungspraxis ist deshalb auch die Frage nach der längerfristigen Adaption der Kinder/Jugendlichen zu integrieren.SummaryBackgroundThere is increasing consideration of a family-focused perspective of the psychosocial consequences of cancer.ObjectivesThis study examined the psychosocial situation of children and adolescents (11 to17 years old) of cancer patients assessing their psychological distress and coping over time.MethodsA total of 110 children and adolescents were assessed post-treatment of parents with cancer (t1), 6 (t2) and 12 months (t3) after t1. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing coping (KidCope) and depressive symptoms (CES). These data were compared with a matched sample from the general population.ResultsThe children reported using a combination of coping measures. In particular, active coping was perceived as being helpful. In terms of coping, there were only small gender differences and 6 months after completion of treatment of the parents (t2), depressive symptoms of the children were still elevated. Depression diminished over time and was near the level of the comparison group at t3.ConclusionChildren and adolescents are particularly psychologically distressed after cancer treatment of parents. This distress was connected with not helpful coping strategies. The extended adjustment of children/adolescents of cancer patients has to be considered in the clinical and psychosocial care of the families.

Coping und depressive Belastungen minderjähriger Kinder von Krebspatienten

BACKGROUND There is increasing consideration of a family-focused perspective of the psychosocial consequences of cancer. OBJECTIVES This study examined the psychosocial situation of children and adolescents (11 to 17 years old) of cancer patients assessing their psychological distress and coping over time. METHODS A total of 110 children and adolescents were assessed post-treatment of parents with cancer (t1), 6 (t2) and 12 months (t3) after t1. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing coping (KidCope) and depressive symptoms (CES). These data were compared with a matched sample from the general population. RESULTS The children reported using a combination of coping measures. In particular, active coping was perceived as being helpful. In terms of coping, there were only small gender differences and 6 months after completion of treatment of the parents (t2), depressive symptoms of the children were still elevated. Depression diminished over time and was near the level of the comparison group at t3. CONCLUSION Children and adolescents are particularly psychologically distressed after cancer treatment of parents. This distress was connected with not helpful coping strategies. The extended adjustment of children/adolescents of cancer patients has to be considered in the clinical and psychosocial care of the families.ZusammenfassungHintergrundEine familienfokussierte Sichtweise auf die psychosozialen Folgen einer Krebserkrankung gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung.ZielDer vorliegende Beitrag untersuchte die selbsteingeschätzte psychosoziale Situation von minderjährigen Kindern/Jugendlichen (11 bis unter 18 Jahre) mit einem krebskranken Elternteil in Hinblick auf ihr Coping (KidCope) und depressive Belastung (CES).MethodeEs wurden längsschnittliche Befunde (drei Messzeitpunkte, beginnend nach der Behandlung des Krebspatienten, n [Kinder/Jugendliche] = 110) erhoben, denen Vergleichsdaten aus der Allgemeinbevölkerung gegenübergestellt wurden.ErgebnisseKinder/Jugendliche nutzten einen Mix an Copingstilen, insbesondere die Formen des aktiven Copings wurden als hilfreich wahrgenommen. Hinsichtlich des Copings gab es kaum Geschlechtsunterschiede. Depressive Belastungen zeigten sich vor allem ein halbes Jahr nach der onkologischen Behandlung des Elternteils. Über die Zeit waren depressive Belastungen rückläufig und näherten sich denen der Vergleichsgruppe an.DiskussionInsbesondere in der Zeit nach der Krebsbehandlung treten bei den Kindern/Jugendlichen Belastungen auf, die mit dem Rückgriff auf wenig hilfreiche Copingstrategien verknüpft sein können. In die klinische und psychosoziale Versorgungspraxis ist deshalb auch die Frage nach der längerfristigen Adaption der Kinder/Jugendlichen zu integrieren.SummaryBackgroundThere is increasing consideration of a family-focused perspective of the psychosocial consequences of cancer.ObjectivesThis study examined the psychosocial situation of children and adolescents (11 to17 years old) of cancer patients assessing their psychological distress and coping over time.MethodsA total of 110 children and adolescents were assessed post-treatment of parents with cancer (t1), 6 (t2) and 12 months (t3) after t1. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing coping (KidCope) and depressive symptoms (CES). These data were compared with a matched sample from the general population.ResultsThe children reported using a combination of coping measures. In particular, active coping was perceived as being helpful. In terms of coping, there were only small gender differences and 6 months after completion of treatment of the parents (t2), depressive symptoms of the children were still elevated. Depression diminished over time and was near the level of the comparison group at t3.ConclusionChildren and adolescents are particularly psychologically distressed after cancer treatment of parents. This distress was connected with not helpful coping strategies. The extended adjustment of children/adolescents of cancer patients has to be considered in the clinical and psychosocial care of the families.

Erzählkompetenz, Repräsentationen und Theory of Mind: Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede

The development of thinking with all its different aspects is not alone a theme of cognitive psychology, but more and more of developmental psychology, in particular with psychoanalytic background. At the latest since the important work by Fonagy, Gergely, Jurist and Target (2004) we are aware of the possible impact of an impaired mentalisation capacity for psychic development. In this article we discuss three aspects of thinking: narrative competence, representations and mentalisation and theory of mind; we will limit ourselves to children in first and second year of Kindergarten who are between 5 and 6 years old. The narrative competence is a really rich and interesting construct as well as a psychic ability connecting cognitive and affective aspects in a most interesting way. Representations of relationships are the main issue of several theories in developmental psychology. The concept of theory of mind has become very significant in cognitive psychology. After a detailed introduction of the central concepts, in the empiric part we will show how aspects of narrative competence are associated with advanced theory of mind skills. Children having passed a theory of mind test respond more to the conflict of the story and show less avoidant strategies in their narratives. Further analyses revealed that only girls showed the expected differences. Therefore an advanced theory of mind capacity gives girls a scope for development to get involved with more difficult conflicts in stories, which enables them to work through more contentious situations.