Communication, Coping, and Executive Function in Children with Cancer

描述（申请人提供）：儿童癌症的诊断和治疗是中断日常生活的主要压力源，导致患有该疾病的儿童及其父母感到痛苦。诸如关于癌症的亲子交流和儿童的认知发展水平等因素可能会从几个方面影响儿童如何应对癌症的诊断和治疗。这项拟议中的研究将检验儿童的认知发展，特别是他们的执行功能水平，与他们对疾病的应对和沟通是如何相关的。此外，本研究将探讨父母沟通方式与儿童执行功能水平之间的关系。具体来说，拟议中的研究将检验父母在讨论孩子的癌症时，根据孩子的执行功能水平调整沟通的程度。这一建议侧重于工作记忆和认知灵活性，这两个领域的执行功能在理解和管理复杂信息以及解决问题方面很重要。通过认知评估、直接观察和自我报告测量，我们将评估120名年龄在8-17岁的被诊断患有癌症的儿童的执行功能、亲子沟通、儿童应对和情绪困扰。本研究将检视儿童执行功能、亲子沟通与儿童应对与苦恼的关系。概要：这个项目研究当一个孩子被诊断患有癌症时，父母和孩子是如何沟通癌症的。具体而言，我们将研究儿童应对与心理发展之间的关系，以及与癌症相关的亲子沟通。这项研究的结果将有助于更好地帮助儿童及其父母应对癌症的诊断和治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cancer are major stressors that interrupt daily life and lead to distress for children diagnosed with the disease and their parents. Factors such as parent-child communication about the cancer and the child's level of cognitive development may influence how children cope with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in several ways. The proposed research will examine how children's cognitive development, specifically their level of executive function, is related to their coping and communication about their illness. Further, the proposed project will examine the relation between parental communication style and child's level of executive function. Specifically, the proposed research will examine the degree to which parents tailor their communication to their child's level of executive function when discussing the child's cancer. This proposal focuses on working memory and cognitive flexibility, domains of executive function that are important in understanding and managing complex information and solving problems. Using cognitive assessments, direct observations, and self-report measures, we will assess executive functioning, parent-child communication, and child coping and emotional distress in 120 children ages 8-17 diagnosed with cancer. The relations between child executive function, parent-child communication, and child coping and distress will be examined. Lay summary: This project examines how parents and children communicate about cancer when a child is diagnosed with cancer. Specifically, we will examine the relation between children's coping and mental development in relation to parent-child communication about cancer. Findings from this study will contribute to better ways to help children and their parents cope with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.