Long Term and Fatal Illness and the Family

Abstract

Serious childhood illnesses can lead to drastic effects upon the stability of family life. Among the more important types of reaction are: initial trauma at time of diagnosis; difficulties in mamaging the illness and relation with medical personnel, and the provocation of latent emotional problems. More adequate models for comprehending the social forces at play may be developed by research in such areas as: parent behavior in regard to symptoms prior to seeking medical advice, physician-parent communication, decision making in regard to child-care, and long-term changes in parent attitudes and behavior.