The Importance that the Pediatrician Talks to the Children with a Parent Affected by Cancer

Although open communication about cancer between parents and children is crucial to reduce the family distress, it is often neglected or absent. Thus, effective psychosocial interventions aimed to help parents and children communicate more openly about cancer, related issues are more need than ever before. This study describes an innovative multidisciplinary family-based intervention in a child inclusive frame. This type of intervention is based on our belief that a strong collaboration among different clinicians - the multidisciplinary team (MDT) is formed by pediatric hemato-oncologists, psychologists and adult oncologists -, in full respect of their specific competences, can provide adequate support to families dealing with cancer. The first phase of this intervention consists of a series of meetings between the cancer patient’s children and the MDT, during which a psychologist and a pediatric hemato-oncologist tell the children what is happening to one of their parents and identify what hopes, fears, and worries they may be experiencing. In the second phase, the children share with their parents what they have learned from the discussion. The specific methodology of this intervention is based on the dialogue between family members, and its outcome is measured by means of a self-reported questionnaire. From 2015 to 2023, fifty-six families and 73 children participated in the study. The results of the survey show that our interventions led to a dramatic reduction of psychopathological symptoms in the participating children, improved collaboration among family members, and provided more opportunities to talk openly about cancer. An overall high level of satisfaction was expressed by the parents. Thus, we conclude that psychosocial interventions helping family members communicate more freely about cancer-related issues should be considered an important ethical pediatrician’s responsibility in oncological care.