Identification of psychological symptoms and associated factors in adolescents who have a parent with cancer in Turkey

Purpose: This descriptive study was designed to identify the psychological symptoms and associated factors in the adolescent children of cancer patients. Methods: The data were collected by a questionnaire developed by the researchers, "The Brief Symptom Inventory" and "The Scale of Social Support provided by the Family and Friends" and statistically compared. Samples: The study involved adolescents of 13-18 years of age accompanying their parents who were receiving cancer treatment. Results: According to the results of the study, the adolescents involved in the study generally showed high rates of psychological symptoms, and the score for the subdimension of depression, one of the psychological symptoms listed in the Brief Symptom Inventory, was the highest (20.22 ± 8.40). The mean anxiety, depression, negative identity, somatization, hostility and total psychological symptom scores of the boys were higher than those of the girls, and the difference between the mean scores of psychological symptoms in male and female genders was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The scores of perceived social support by the family and friends and psychological distress were not significantly associated (p > 0.05). Conclusion: In light of these findings, the importance of caring for the adolescents along with their parents and providing them with professional support to overcome their psychological distress has become evident. © 2011.