Abstract
Background A diagnosis of childhood cancer results in new parent-child
communication challenges. Little is known about how communication
changes over time after diagnosis or relapse. The objective of this
study was to determine the effect of time since diagnosis and relapse on
quality of parent-child communication. We hypothesized that there would
be a positive correlation between time and quality of parent-child
communication. Methods Cross-sectional study in children (7 to 17 years)
with relapsed/refractory cancer and their caregivers, who spoke English,
were not cognitively impaired, and had internet access. Parents were
recruited through Facebook ads. Parents and children completed the
Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS), a 20-item measure of
communication quality, with openness and problem subscales. Spearman’s
Rho coefficients assessed correlations between PACS scores and time
since diagnosis/relapse. Results There was a statistically significant
negative correlation between parent PACS scores and time since child’s
cancer diagnosis (Spearman’s Rho = - 0.21, p = 0.02), indicating a
tendency for overall worsening communication as time since diagnosis
increased. There was a positive correlation between the parent PACS
problem scores and time since diagnosis (Spearman’s Rho = + 0.22, p =
0.01), indicating more problematic communication as time since diagnosis
increased. Correlations of time since relapse and PACS scores were small
and not statistically significant. Conclusion Parent-child communication
worsens over time following a child’s cancer diagnosis with more
communication problems, contrary to our hypothesis. Future studies are
needed to evaluate intervention timing to best support parent-child
communication beyond the new diagnosis period.