Troiano, Peter

Title:
Pediatric Cancer and Familial Resiliency

Abstract:
Pediatric cancer and the circumstances surrounding it represent a traumatic and oftentimes catastrophic life event for everyone involved. To better understand the psychological effects of pediatric cancer and how such effects can be overcome, I investigated, through literature-based research, patterns of adverse trauma and resiliency within families struggling with a pediatric cancer diagnosis. This analysis revealed that while pediatric cancer has quite severe and personal effects on several characteristics involved with family structure and functioning, the weight of such effects can be greatly diminished through structured psychological interventions and enhanced relationship involvement. With this knowledge, practical steps can be implemented that will ensure the greatest resiliency in both pediatric cancer patients and their families, resiliency that will improve psychosocial outcomes and diminish posttraumatic stress symptoms later on in life.

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