| Abstract: |
(from the chapter) A cancer diagnosis marks a major transition in a family's life. Cancer has been described previously as an uninvited guest that enters the family group, demanding accommodation and drawing on resources within the family system.' Families are often required to rearrange roles and responsibilities around patient care, revise future plans and priorities, negotiate discrepant expectations about what constitutes good coping or appropriate goals of treatment, and in the advanced stages of illness, manage the financial and logistical burden of care while preparing for the prospect of loss. Researchers and practitioners alike have argued that the psychosocial impact of cancer should be construed in relational terms. Evidence suggests that couples and families affected by cancer function as interdependent emotional units, such that the needs, goals, and emotional responses of patients and their close partners are highly correlated and mutually influencing. As a result, there has been increased interest in applying family-centered approaches to the psychosocial care of the cancer patient. In this chapter, we initially present empirically supported therapies designed for the couple, followed by an overview of interventions for the larger family unit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved). |
