Medical social work
A cancer diagnosis in a child is a stressful event for the entire family. The medical social worker helps parents adapt to life after the diagnosis. This includes addressing the practical, emotional, and financial consequences of the diagnosis and treatment. A cancer diagnosis confronts the child and parents with a range of stressors, including the most feared one: the fear that the child may die. This can lead to medical traumatic stress: a psychological and/or physical reaction of parents to everything that comes their way.
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Most families who are confronted with this situation regain their resilience over time and learn to cope effectively with the challenges of treatment on their own. They are able to adapt well to the new reality, and stress levels decrease to normal.
Although all families may experience stress, each family copes with emotions and experiences in its own way. Recognizing the different ways in which children and parents deal with this stress (coping) is important for providing appropriate support. Each phase of treatment has specific characteristics that influence the reactions of both children and parents. Parents and children are faced with an intensive period of treatment, which often brings major changes to the lives of both the child and the parents.
More information
Grootenhuis, M., Vrijmoet, J., & Van den Bergh, E. (2001). Psychologische behandeling bij kinderen met kanker. In S. Duijts, R. Sanderman, M. Schroevers, & T. Vos (Eds.), Psychologische patiëntenzorg in de oncologie (pp. 323-334). Uitgeverij Van Gorcum.
Support for you as a parent. (z.d.). Prinses Máxima Centrum voor kinderoncologie.
Kaspers, G., Dors, N., Luijpers, W., & Benoit, Y. (Red.). (2025). Leerboek kinderoncologie. De Tijdstroom / Koninklijke Boom Uitgevers.