Parents Need Psychological Support If Their Children Are Diagnosed With Cancer

JAKARTA - Psychological consultant mental health specialist from RSUI, dr. Fransiska M. Kaligis Sp.KJ (K) said that finding cancer diagnosis in children often has an impact on parents, so it requires psychological support in accompanying children.

"The role of parents when dealing with children with cancer requires medical and psychological support. We as parents are also important as emotional support for children," said Fransiska at the Supportive Role of Children's Cancer in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Saturday, July 13.

Fransiska said the presence of parents is very much needed for children who are undergoing cancer treatment. Parents can be a reinforcement for children so that children do not easily stress and can think positively about what they are experiencing. Parents also need to be present to provide calm, information and validation of their children's emotions, that way children will undergo cancer treatment more calmly.

But in fact, parents who receive a diagnosis that their child suffers from cancer can actually affect a series of psychologic drugs that are also severe. Parents often experience shocks and do not accept the news that is heard which is actually a natural human response when experiencing bad news.

They also have to go through a period of rejection or denial of what they receive as well as anger to despair. Until reaching the phase can accept the situation also takes a time that is not short and not easy.

This psychological impact also often has an impact on the system in the family which has also changed so that parents can experience stress, depression and feel guilty because they cannot give the best to their children. This is also often mentioned that parents are screened patients'' behind children who have cancer.

"The impact is that parents experience stress and anxiety, if it's more severe they can be depressed, parents also often feel guilty and feel they can't give their best, the responsibility of the treatment period can also cause physical fatigue in their parents and it is prone to psychological disorders due to lack of sleep, bad mood, and work is also disrupted," said Fransiska.

To avoid stress and depression, Fransiska said that some psychosocial needs are very important for parents, one of which is the need for information such as participating in community activities in order to get information related to children's illnesses. Parents' emotional needs also need to be overcome by sharing and supporting each other.

In addition, financial needs that often affect financial conditions also need to be addressed with several options such as insurance that eases the burden of children's treatment. Parents' physical needs also need to be regulated, such as problems with taking care of households that can be done alternately with other family members so that parents do not experience physical fatigue while taking care of their children who are sick and can rest.

And the need for spiritual needs is also to feel calmer and can go through a psychological phase and be able to accept the situation. Support to meet psychosocial needs can be done between doctors and patients, fellow patients, or fellow parents.

Psychosocial in the form of assistance that provides attention, motivation, information and interaction that can improve the quality of our lives, if we support each other, it is also a psychosocial thing, "he said.

To avoid stress, Fransiska suggested that parents not hear too much about other people's negative speech and control themselves to focus on the positive support of those closest to them. Consult with doctors regarding matters that are considered myths in the community in order to get correct information and be able to undergo treatment according to the doctor's advice.