General Well-Being among the Parents of Pediatric Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background:

Parents of children who are diagnosed with cancer experience emotional, psychological, physical and social demands that have profound effect on their overall well-being. Stressors like fears about treatment outcomes, repeated hospital visits, financial strain, witnessing the child’s suffering, and managing family responsibilities disrupt their daily functioning, sleep, relationships and sense of stability. General well-being (GWB) in such circumstances often becomes compromising as parents struggle to balance caregiving responsibilities with their own need for rest, social support and self-care. Demographic factors like gender, education, employment, income etc. also influence coping capacity by shaping access to resources, support systems, and adaptive strategies

Objectives:

1. To evaluate the overall general well-being of parents of children diagnosed with cancer.


2. To examine association of the demographic variables with the general well-being of parents of children with cancer.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used and through convenience sampling 126 parents of children who were diagnosed with cancer were selected and their General Well-Being was assess using the standardized General Well-Being Index authored by Dr. Vijayalaxmi Chauhan and Dr. Varsh Sharma.

Statistical Analysis: Chi Square and percentage method.

Results: Among 126 participants, 83.33% demonstrated below-average general well-being. The stage of the cancer exhibited a highly significant association (0.0001) with General Well-Being.

Conclusion: The study concludes that parents of children with cancer experience low levels of general well-being. Parents of children in advanced cancer stages showed significantly poorer well-being; only stages of cancer have significant association with general well-being.