A Mother Diagnosed With Cancer Psychology Essay

A M other(a) Diagnosed With Cancer Psychology attemptAt that fourth dimension, crabmeat for me and probably for any maven else was an un crawl inn monster who sp atomic repress 18d no feel when it hits you. in that respect were end little nights full of hope for her recovery. At night step forward front I would doze off to sleep I would look at her stodgyly. She st stroke had that same pretty face, beautiful eyes, lovely shaped lips and shiny mind. But deep inside, it was too painful to see my ever dynamical mother lying in bed with all the tubes in her body. alike hurtful to think that all we had sh bed, our plans might come to an endThis is an teen shape upd daughters account of her journey with having a mother diagnosed with potentiometercer. Dealing with motherlike malignant neoplastic affection mickle cause di focussing and anxiety because this hallucinatingness is usually associated with unequal prognosis, agonizing pain, negative feats of the treat workfo rcet, and low survival rates. Cancer is considered by many as a silent killer, which unsuspectingly ravages the body from inside. It can be a stressful experience, non only for the patients themselves, but withal for the entire family. Every genus Phallus of the family, especially the children, has to adjust to the mad commove, sensual demands, and lifestyle changes which crabmeat brings ab bug out.The occurrence of crabmeat has alarmingly plusd throughout the years, affecting and claiming many lives around the world. It has been estimated that around 12.2 million people argon diagnosed with pubic louse worldwide (American Cancer Society, 2007). It is in like manner projected that the number of crabmeat cases and deaths volition continue to escalate in the future. New crabmeat cases argon estimated to increase from 11.3 million in 2007 to 15.5 million in 2030 (WHO, 2008). Based on the worldwide proliferation of cancer cases, this disease is now considered to be a n ational health problem.In the local anesthetic scene, it is estimated that one in every 1,800 Philippines will suffer from cancer every year (Philippines Breast Cancer, 2008). Based on the 2005 Cancer Facts and Estimates (cited in A Look at Cancer, 2007), approximately 39,929 men and 32,917 women were diagnosed with cancer that year. Consistent with the worldwide trend, the number of cancer patients in the Philippines is in any case evaluate to increase in the coming years. The just just about common cancer sites for two men and women argon as follows lung, summit, liver, cervix, and colon (A Look at Cancer, 2007).Young and marrow-aged women be at gigantic risk of ontogeny cancer. According to Hamouy (2007), statistics show that females claim one in three chances of get cancer in their lifetime. This risk is also delinquent to the drastic increase in the number of breast and cervical cancer cases, which argon ordinarily and specifically associated with women. The bre ast is the closely common cancer site among Filipinas. As of 2008, the Philippines had the highest reported cases of breast cancer in Asia, regular surpassing other European countries (Philippines Breast Cancer, 2008). Cervical cancer ranks as the second most frequent type of cancer among Filipino women (World Health Organization, 2007). According to the part of Health (cited in DOH Launches, 2008), approximately 10 Filipinas die from cervical cancer all(prenominal) day.Women diagnosed with cancer belong to various age bases. However, findings systematically show that cancer risk is positively cor related to with age (Baum Andersen, 2001 A Look at Cancer, 2007). This puts older women at longer risk for developing this dreaded disease. In the past years, majority of cancer cases were diagnosed at 50 years old or at a postmenopausal age (Bobadilla, 2006). Unfortunately, there has been an increase in the occurrence of cancer among women in their midlife (Bobadilla, 2006) as we ll. Recently, the battle against cancer has started to affect younger women. A earthshaking number of women who belong to this population are mothers. It is estimated that 30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer has one or to a greater extent viewent offspring still under her rush (Faulkner Davey, 2002). The growing incidence of cancer among younger mothers means that more families are world challenged to jazz with this disease.Mothers diagnosed with cancer are faced with various issues in the polar facets of their lives. On a individual(prenominal) level, their concerns include experiencing the physical rigors of the disease and treatment, unrestrained issues, and engrossment with existential matters. Aside from these, they also turn in redundant sources of stress such as meeting the demands of being wives, mothers, and professionals in their individual fields. creation diagnosed with cancer at this stage in ones life can be stressful and in just about cases, trau matic. This can be attributed to the compact of having to fulfill different partings despite the physical and steamy demands of the disease. Mothers with cancer are forced to shift their role from taking assistance of their family to the one being cared for. In effect, although a motherly cancer diagnosis is see as a personal crisis, it also makes a great furbish up on the whole family system.These families are put in a predicament wherein they restrain to lodge with the changes and stresses brought about by maternal cancer. As the patients roles as a mother and spouse are disrupted, traffic with the illness becomes a overlap crisis inwardly the family. The husband and children are forced to adapt with the placement by handling the responsibilities which the mother could non perform, while transaction with their deliver stimulated regret. The stressful constitution of the situation puts other family members at risk for mental distress, especially the children.In f amilies transaction with maternal cancer, the girlish daughters are expected to assume the responsibilities of the mother. In the Filipino culture, daughters are reared to help out in national chores and assist the mother with her duties (Liwag, Dela Cruz, Macapagal, 1998). Thus, when the mother is non well fair to middling to carry out her responsibilities, adolescent daughters take over in feel for for the family. This additional burden makes adolescent daughters the most vulner fitting to experience mental distress. Such circumstances subject the daughters to witness drastic physical and emotional changes in their mothers, jailbreak in their daily routines and changes in family roles. Aside from share-out the burden with their family, the daughters are also faced with the challenge of dealing with the developmental demands of being an adolescent. They may experience a variety of emotional answers, the most common of which are depression and anxiety, as a way to cope wit h their stress. Parents may fail to write out the distress their daughters are experiencing due to preoccupation with the treatment and their own distress. In effect, the emotional issues harbored by the daughters may non be addressed appropriately.In the field of mental look, a pear-shaped body of studies had already been devoted to investigating the effects of cancer on the different aspects of a patients life. It has only been recently that questioners also recognized the pack to shift their attention to the children of cancer patients. It is in this vein that the focus of this question will be gisted on adolescent daughters whose mothers have cancer. This research will look into the psychological impact of maternal cancer on adolescent daughters, specifically in foothold of emotional, manneral, and social functioning. The mothers perceptions regarding how their daughters are dealing with situation will also be explored. It is also of interest to know how maternal canc er affects the relationship between the mother and adolescent daughter. survey of LiteratureImpact of Parental Cancer on the FamilyCancer was prove to be associated with psychological distress. Much of past research on cancer has focused chief(prenominal)ly on the psychological impact of cancer on the patients themselves (Veach, 1998). Researchers have acknowledged that it is also necessary to look into the effect of cancer within the context of the family.Family Systems TheoryThe family is defined by Buckley (as cited in Papadopolous, 1995) as a system made up of sets of different parts which are interdependent and interconnected. A change in one part causes a change in the entire system. It is comprised of several subsystems which characterize the existing relationships within the family such as enate, marital, and sibling relationships (Faulkner Davey, 2002). According to the family systems theory, the condition of one family member influences the condition of other family me mbers. It proposes that all the subsystems within the family interact and affect each other (Faulkner Davey, 2002 Papadopolous, 1995). The members of the family operate in a way that it maintains a balance level of functioning, also known as equaliser. The well-being of the family members and the familys functioning depend greatly on the interaction of the subsystems (Faulkner Davey, 2002).Due to the dynamic and interdependent nature of the family system, the roles and psychological functioning of individual members can affect the whole system. A role change initiated by one member will alter how the rest of the members play their roles. In this case, the whole system has to make alike(p) changes in their behavior in order to compensate for the disruption in the roles among the members. This adjustment has to be made in order to regain the familys equilibrium (Jolley Mitchell, 1996). In the same way, a members psychological functioning is strongly influenced by ones interactio n with the other members (Oster Caro, 1990). In families which are under a great deal of stress, the child is vulnerable to everything that is going on between the cites. The tenseness or conflict within a family can also reach distress within the child, whether the child is directly exposed to the stressor or not (Sokolova, n.d.).The Filipino FamilyThe Philippine society is familial in nature (Jocano, 1995). Filipinos recognize that the family is the most basic institution in the society and is at the center of the affairs of the community. The high regard given to the family can be seen in the strong and pervasive influence this institution exerts towards individuals.According to Jocano (1995), the Filipino family is higher-up over the members. The life of each member is strongly influenced by the kinetics within the family. An individual must involve the family in decision-making and resolution of of the essence(p) issues. This is because the entire family is affected if s omething happens to its member, regardless of whether this occurrence is positive or negative. Thus, the Filipino family tends to be protective of its members, as a way to preserve not only the individual but the entire system as well.In order to uphold the traditional Filipino family system, cultural ideals which guide ones behavior are instilled in the individual. These ideals are learned through rearing practices and adherence paper to the societys norms. The interest standards are honored and imbibed by traditional Filipino families kapwa, damdamin, anddangal (Jocano, 1995, p.7). Kapwa refers to establishing interpersonal relationships which are based on equality and empathy. Damdamin on the other hand, deals with valuing others peoples emotions and pains in order not to hurts the feelings of others. Lastly, dangal, pertains to honoring and respecting others. Despite the changes in the society, in light of modernization, Jocano (1995) represent that many Filipino parents co ntinue to inculcate the following cultural ideals to their children paggalang, which is giving respect to people and venerated customs pagbabalikatan, which is empathizing and sharing the burden of others pagbabayanihan, which is cooperating with one another and pagmamalasakit, which is being considerate and concerned with other peoples welfare (Jocano, 1995, pp.7-8).The Filipino family is also described to be bilateral (Jocano, 1995). This refers to the establishment of close relationships with relatives from two the sides of the mother and father. An individuals level of affinity towards the maternal and paternal relatives are said to be equal. This bilateral characteristic of the family makes the relationships within the family system wider and more intertwined. In effect, the typical Filipinos concept of family is not only limited to the thermonuclear family mental synthesis, which is comprised of the parents and their children, but also includes the extended family which in cludes the relatives from both sides. By going beyond the immediate family, the individual can draw can and security from both the immediate and extended family. Jocano (1995) considers this close kinship among Filipinos as a significant source of strength. This provides an individual with an assurance that there will always be someone to count on when problems arise.The close ties among relatives and the ideals which families uphold influence the structure of Filipino households (Torres, 1995). It is typical for a nuclear family to share a detonating device with a few relatives and a nonrelative, which is usually the househelp. This is true, most especially for gist class urban families. In some cases, nuclear families who belong to the same clan reside in separate dwellings which are close in proximity. By maintaining geographical nearness, the extended family and its members are able to strengthen the rear that they derive from each other.Carandang (1987) applied the family s ystems approach within the context of Filipino families. In line with Western theories on family systems, she conjureed that any stress experienced by one member can be vicariously mat by the other members. Each of the family members dos to this stress by acting out in their own unique way.It has to be taken into consideration that the Filipino family is usually comprised of immediate family members, as well as extended relatives. there is also greater emphasis on maintaining close emotional bond among the family members. This nature of Filipino families makes it a more dynamic and complicated system. In effect, the children are challenged to gain recognition so as not to be lost within the larger system. This makes the children the most vulnerable members of the family because they can be easily affected by the stresses experienced by the family (Carandang, 1987).When the family is in the middle of a crisis, there is a tendency for the children not to directly label their feel ings, especially if these are negative and are felt towards the adults in the family. In some cases, these stresses are manifested through the childrens behavior. Carandang (1987) found out that regardless of the socioeconomic status of the family, the children play the role of the familys protector. Being the protectors, the children absorb the familys stress and respond through their behaviors.In the Philippine setting, the familys tagasalo (Carandang, 1987, p. 47) or the one who takes care of the family is considered to be at risk for developing distress. Older siblings, most especially the daughters, are commonly expected to fulfill the role of being the familys tagasalo. Daughters are prepare at an early age to assist in tasks which are domestic and nurturant in nature, such as household chores and caretaking duties. By the time Filipino daughters reach adolescence, they are expected to become mother substitutes (Liwag, Dela Cruz, Macapagal, 1998, p.155). With this invigorate d role, adolescent daughters assume a considerable number of their mothers household responsibilities.The bring of Go Tian (2003) tolerates Carandangs premise that daughters are more likely than sons to assume the role of the tagasalo. Based on her research among Filipino college students, females exhibited higher tagasalo traits than males. In contrast, Udarbes (2001) research proposed that the familys tagasalo is not necessarily related to the childs gender or birth order. Her findings suggest that the tagasalo generally possesses the following characteristics strong intelligence of responsibility, good listener, nurturant, peacemaker and a strong penury for control.Traditionally, women are considered to be central to the functioning of the family. This is due to gender role socialization, which dictates that women are expected and trained to take care of household matters (Liwag, Dela Cruz, Macapagal, 1998). As the major female figure in the family, the mothers main role is to handle domestic responsibilities at home. Thus, when a mother is diagnosed with cancer, the family adapts to the situation by assuming the responsibilities which the mother could not handle. This burden is often passed on to the adolescent daughter, who had been trained since childhood to carry out domestic chores.The impact of cancer within the Filipino family was evident in a local study done by Gorospe (2002). A cancer diagnosis affects the different aspects of a patients life, as well as the rest of the family members. The debilitating effect of cancer on the patient can cause a disruption in routine, changes in lifestyle, and limitations in performing ones responsibilities. Thus, the patient and his family are confronted with overpowering changes which they have to adjust to. As a reaction to these changes, the entire family undergoes a process of emotional distress characterized by disbelief, denial, and initial resistance to the diagnosis. The roles within the family also have to be re-assigned in order to compensate for the changes related to the patients inability to fulfill ones role.Family Changes Brought About by Parental CancerA mothers diagnosis of cancer is not an individual struggle. The entire family is subjected to the repercussions of dealing with maternal cancer. According to Robinson, Caroll, and Watson (2005), cancer within the family can be considered as an emotional crucible. This is the shared experience in which the family goes through a series of emotional adjustments. Such experience has been described as both draining and empowering, not only for the cancer patient but for all the family members. The profound stress brought about by the illness affects the relationships and interactions within the family. As a response, the family members reactions are manifested through their behavior and emotions (Sargent, 2003).Parents diagnosed with cancer reported that due to the illness, they were unable to deteriorate time with and addr ess the needs of their children (Walsh, Manuel, Avis, 2005). This was back up by the study of Faulkner and Davey (2002) which collapseed that parental cancer can lead to impaired parenting. The demands of the illness made both the healthy and ill parents less available to their children, emotionally and physically. There were also cases of less communication, decrease in supervision, and lack of consistency in civilise and nurturance.Such disruption in the family system undeniably exposes the children to many psychological stressors such as threat of permanent loss of parent to death, jury-rigged loss of parent due to the treatment demands, and changes in family roles and routines (Davey, Askew, Godette, 2003). This may direct in adjustment difficulties and psychological consequences, thus, making the children vulnerable to the impact of having a parent with cancer.Cancer blurs the roles in the family. The study of Walsh, Manuel, and Avis (2005), which investigated the impact of maternal breast cancer on the family, revealed that because the mothers were not well enough to perform their usual responsibilities at home, they had to transfer some of their family duties to their spouses and children.Generally, adolescents in the family had to take on more responsibilities at home, such as household chores and caregiving tasks for their younger siblings and the ill parent (Davey, Askew, Godette, 2003 Davey, Gulish, Askew, Godette, Childs, 2005 Grabiak, Bender, Puskar, 2007 Visser, Huizinga, cutting edge der Graaf, Hoekstra, Hoekstra-Weebers, 2003). Aside from dealing with business concern over the ill parents condition, the adolescent children in the family felt that their lives were complicated due to the additional responsibilities they had to carry out in order to augment the deficiencies caused by maternal cancer (Davey, Gulish, Askew, Godette, Childs, 2005). mental Adjustment Among Adolescents of Cancer PatientsThe psychological effects of matern al cancer on children are widely investigated. The qualitative study of Forrest, Plumb, Ziebland, and Stein (2006) reported that children already suspected that something was wrong even so before they were told about their mothers diagnosis. They based this suspense on the mood and behavior changes in their mother. Upon knowing about the maternal cancer diagnosis, the adolescents experienced emotional distress. The initial emotional responses were shock and disbelief, followed by devastation and intense feelings of sadness (Davey, Askew, Godette, 2003 Davey, Gulish, Askew, Godette, Childs, 2005).Compas, Worsham, Ey, and Howell (1996) assessed the emotional distress experienced by children of cancer patients by looking into their depression and anxiety. Their distress arose from their considerable worry about their mothers health and fear of losing their mother from cancer (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003 Davey, Gulish, et al., 2005 Grabiak, Bender, Puskar, 2007 Kristjanson, Chalmers , Woodgate, 2004 Walsh et al., 2005). In some studies, adolescents were also concerned with the possibility of potentially inheriting the cancer (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003 Walsh et al., 2005).The adolescents emotional difficulties partly stemmed from feeling powerless over their parents illness. The adolescents felt that they did not have control over the outcome of the diagnosis and treatment, which in stoop also affected the moods and accessibility of both parents (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003). Another cause of the adolescents distress was witnessing their parents pain. Some of the adolescents reported that they were bothered by the side effects of chemotherapy (Forrest et al., 2006). They had to adapt to seeing their usually healthy parent slowly become faint and ill (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003). The positive effect this had on the children was that they became more empathic towards their ill parent. They were also more tolerant and run intoing of both their parents, who exhib ited increased pique and moodiness (Davey, Askew, et al., 2003). This was consistent with the findings of Kristjanson et al. (2004) which revealed that the adolescents were sensitive to the suffering of their ill mother. The teenagers expressed that they felt felonious because their own lives were normal, whereas their mother was enduring the painful physical and psychological consequences of cancer. They were able to empathize with their mothers suffering but they expressed guilt about their own situation.A local research done by Tantoco (1992) examined the issues confronted by terminally ill mothers and their first offspring. Results revealed that the eldest children exhibited considerable anxiety during the process of dealing with their mothers illness. Many of the participants described their journey as an emotional roller coaster come up (Tantoco, 1992, p.73). This experience compelled them to prioritize their mothers condition. This forced them to put other aspects of thei r lives, such as studies, work, and heterosexual relationships aside. Given that the eldest children focused much of their attention on their ill mother, they became sensitive to their mothers physical, emotional, and mental anguish. The children shared that they had difficulties in dealing with their ill mothers emotional outbursts. Despite this, the eldest in the family also felt the need to give emotional support, security, and assurance to their ill mother. Another source of the eldest childrens stress was their informal role of being next to their parents in terms of responsibility and authority. Being the eldest, they had to take on additional household responsibilities, including care of their ill mother and younger siblings. These extra tasks required them to make personal sacrifices such as not being able to engage in their usual adolescent activities.Aside from emotional problems, behavioral changes were also notice among children of cancer patients. Increased crying, clinging, difficulty in sleeping, and changes in the intensity of talking were some of the behaviors which children engaged in after their parent was diagnosed with cancer (Visser et al., 2003). There are inconsistent findings in terms of the childrens schoolhouse performance. Some adolescents showed a decline in their pedantics and attendance (Visser et al., 2003 Grabiak, Bender, Puskar, 2007. This was due to their inability to concentrate during school hours because of their preoccupation with their parents illness and the disruptions in their routine (Visser et al., 2003 Forrest et al., 2006). However, some adolescents actually performed dampen in school even though they were dealing with parental cancer (Visser et al., 2003).Positive behavioral changes also surfaced as the adolescents were dealing with their mothers cancer. The adolescents expressed that they appreciated their mother more even when the diagnosis and treatment were over. They showed this newfound reach by co nstantly checking on how the ill mother is doing, wanting to be physically close, paying more than usual attention to mothers needs, and wanting to aver support (Visser et al., 2003 Davey, Gulish et al., 2005). Some adolescents also reported that they took over their mothers role even if it meant an increase in their responsibilities. This contributed to their perception that they were older than their years, after having gone through that experience (Davey, Gulish et al., 2005). Daughters whose mothers have cancer also became more involved with the medical exam aspects of the treatment. Even though they were less convinced that things will work out, they took more initiative in handling the medical concerns of their mother (Gilbar Borovik, 1998).According to Grabiak, Bender, and Puskar (2007), the behavioral adjustment of adolescents rely heavily on the emotional condition of both parents and on the family functioning. When both parents display symptoms of depression, adolescent s tended to show increased behavioral problems. amongst the two parents, maternal depression exerts a stronger influence on the childs behavioral functioning. It was also found that adolescents who experienced difficulty with behavioral adjustment sensed their families as having poor quality of communication, responsiveness, and involvement.In the aspect of social functioning, the study of Osborn (2007) found no evidence to suggest that social competence is negatively affected among children of cancer patients. In a few studies, adolescents of cancer patients even reported handling their social lives more effectively than those from the norm groups (Osborn, 2007). This amicable social functioning may be attributed to the strong social support which the adolescents actively seek and maintain.Common sources of social support were family, friends, school counselors, teachers, and support groups (Davey, Askew, Godette, 2003 Grabiak, Bender, Puskar, 2007 Huizinga, Van der Graaf et a l., 2005). Adolescents felt that their peers were positive sources of support with whom they could talk openly about their feelings and fears. However, some teenagers expressed that their friends had difficulty empathizing with their situation. They felt that their friends could not really understand what it is like to have a mother diagnosed with cancer. This feeling further highlights the sense of isolation which the adolescents sometimes feel. They felt more consoled when they talked to peers who were also experiencing the same reverse (Huizinga, Van der Graaf et al., 2005).Similarly, Filipina adolescents place importance on having strong social ties. Being more emotionally involved in relationships and having higher levels of interpersonal needs, warmth, and predisposition are important factors which contribute to the finding that female adolescents are less lonely than their male counterparts. Their need for interaction actually reduces the feelings of loneliness because Fili pina adolescents have a richer source of social and emotional support (Jimenez, 2009).Adolescents of Cancer Patients in Comparison With Control GroupsSeveral studies compared the psychological functioning of adolescents whose parents have cancer vis-a-vis a control group. Inconsistent findings were found.A number of studies reveal that adolescents of cancer patients and the control group did not significantly differ in terms of emotional, behavioral, and social functioning (Brown et al., 2006 Harris Zakowski, 2003 Hoke, 2001 Huzinga, Van der Graaf, Visser, Djikstra, Hoekstra-Weebers, 2005 Osborn, 2007 Visser, et al., 2007). The similarity in the levels of psychological distress between adolescents of cancer patients and the control group can be attributed to the childrens efforts to mask their true feelings. They were aware that their parents were already under a great deal of stress. The adolescents showed that they were not affected by the situation so that their parents would n ot worry about them. This was their way of protecting their parents from additional stress (Visser et al., 2007).Although no significant differences were found in terms of psychological distress, a dowery of the adolescents of cancer patients exhibited scores within the clinical range. In the study of Houck, Rodrigue, and Lobato (2006), third gear of the adolescents whose parents have cancer reported clinical levels of posttraumatic stress in response to their parents illness. In addition, approximately 25% to 30% of the adolescents in both the studies of Visser et al. (2007) and Huizinga, Van der Graaf et al. (2005) reported clinically elevated scores in internalizing and externalizing problems. Internalizing problems refer to tour ones emotions inward. This is manifested through withdrawal, somatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression. On the other hand, externalizing problems are more detectable ways of dealing with stress because they are reflected through ones behavior. This c an be in the form of socially unacceptable, delinquent, and aggressive behavior (Visser et al., 2005). Consistent with the abovementioned, Osborn (2007) proposed that adolescents of cancer patients generally did not experience higher levels of psychological distress compared to point of reference groups. However, they were slightly at increased risk for internalizing problems.Some studies found that adolescents of cancer patients are more emotionally distressed than those from the control sample. The research of Grabiak et al. (2007) revealed that adolescents whose parents have cancer displayed a significantly higher level of anxiety compared to the age-normed sample. Visser et al. (2003) supported this claim as their study found that when compared to a control group, adolescents dealing with parental cancer exhibited significantly higher stress-response symptoms, which included avoidance and searching thoughts. In another study, adolescents of cancer patients also displayed signi ficantly higher levels of perceived risk for developing cancer than adolescents who have healthy parents (Harris Zakowski, 2003). Despite this, it is fire to note that these two groups did not differ in depression and anxiety. Hoke (2001) found that adolescents coping with maternal cancer did better in their social and academic endeavors when their mother was more distressed. This is in comparison with adolescents in the control group who did less well when their mother was more distressed.The results also varied depending on the t