What is the role of grandparents of grandchildren with cancer?
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During the child’s treatment, grandparents can be heavily
involved in providing intangible (e.g. emotional) and tangible (e.g. parental
respite, childcare) support. This involvement can lead to increased family
closeness and can heighten grandparents’ emotional bonds with the sick child
and their siblings.
However grandparents may also harbour their own concerns and fears, many of which remain unshared. Grandparents can believe that their own distress is illegitimate in the context of parent’s and sibling’s distress. Despite putting their own lives on hold during the child’s treatment, grandparents may feel ignored by the child’s healthcare team and receive little targeted information or psychosocial support. |
What did this study aim to achieve?
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Our grandparent study aimed to assess the extent of distress grandparents experience when their grandchild is diagnosed with cancer.
We also aimed to assess their need for information, use of support services and/or the barriers they experience when trying to access support. |
How was this study supported?
A Guide for Grandparents of Children with Cancer
The Grandparent study enables us to develop an e-book for grandparents of children with cancer. You can access the e-book and other information and resources for grandparents of children with cancer on the RedKite website.
If you have any further questions about the results from this study or the e-book, please contact Prof Claire Wakefield: c.wakefield@unsw.edu.au