Children and adolescents' preferences for support when living with a dying parent - An integrative review.
Emily Beatrice Bergersen, Maria Larsson, Cecilia Olsson
PMID 35156340WHAT IT FOUND
Children and adolescents living with a dying parent wanted control over involvement, honest age-appropriate information, family and peer support, and professionals who showed compassion without pressure.
Key findings
01Across 22 articles, children and adolescents sought control and balance through involvement, respite, information, family support, professional support and normality.
02They wanted honest, continuous, age-appropriate information tailored to each child, but some preferred not to know everything.
03They saw healthcare support as mainly for the sick parent, yet wanted clinicians to show concern, give information, and offer small talk rather than pressure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included 22 articles, but two pairs used the same participants, so it was based on 20 studies. Two articles were rated low quality and six were rated medium quality. The included studies were mostly from Sweden, the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway, the UK and Denmark, so they may not apply to other cultural settings. Most parents had cancer, so preferences for other life-threatening illnesses are unclear. Only two studies specified urban or rural setting. The number of participants was unclear in two studies. The review did not find measurement instruments that can map individual preferences for support. Few interventions were identified, and most were aimed at the family rather than the individual child.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a specific support programme is effective because children preferred its content. The review reports preferences and experiences, not tested treatment effects.