Stress and Coping in Caregivers of Younger Patients With Cancer

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine how the experience of distress and use of positive emotion coping strategies by pediatric cancer caregivers differs from caregivers of children with no chronic illnesses.

II. To determine how relationships between positive coping strategies and caregiver distress change during the different phases of a child's illness.

III. To explore how chronic caregiver stress affects physiological reactivity to and recovery from an acute laboratory stressor.

IV. To explore how different positive coping mechanisms help chronically stressed caregivers recover from acute stressors and how these efficacies change during the different phases of the child's illness.

OUTLINE:

PART I:

Participants complete a questionnaire that measures several psychological constructs including stress, anxiety, depression, coping mechanisms, uncertainty, positive and negative emotions, and life satisfaction over 15-30 minutes.

PART II:

Participants undergo a Trier Social Stress Test during a laboratory session over 1.5 hours.

Inclusion criteria

• Ability to read and speak English
• Must serve as a primary caregiver of their child (ages 0-17) - as reported by the participant
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion criteria

• (Part 1 and Part 2): Must not have a family member who has already participated in the study
• (Part 2): Must not be pregnant or have a history of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, pituitary disorder, or adrenal disorder
• CONTROL PARTICIPANTS: (Part 1 and Part 2): Participants must not have a child with a chronic illness (e.g., diabetes, asthma, multiple sclerosis)