Childhood injury after a parental cancer diagnosis

Abstract

A parental cancer diagnosis is psychologically straining for the whole family. We investigated whether a parental cancer diagnosis is associated with a higher-than-expected risk of injury among children by using a Swedish nationwide register-based cohort study. Compared to children without parental cancer, children with parental cancer had a higher rate of hospital contact for injury during the first year after parental cancer diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.22-1.33), especially when the parent had a comorbid psychiatric disorder after cancer diagnosis (HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.08-1.85). The rate increment declined during the second and third year after parental cancer diagnosis (HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.07-1.14) and became null afterwards (HR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.99-1.03). Children with parental cancer also had a higher rate of repeated injuries than the other children (HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.12-1.15). Given the high rate of injury among children in the general population, our findings may have important public health implications.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08500.001

eLife digest

A diagnosis of cancer can be devastating for both a person and his or her family. Over the past 40 years, the number of individuals in Sweden diagnosed with cancer has more than doubled leaving growing numbers of families coping with the aftermath. Many individuals diagnosed with cancer have young children. Parents with cancer and their spouses often struggle to cope with disease and the demands of parenting simultaneously. In fact, previous research has shown children with a parent who has cancer have a greater risk of behavioral problems or distress than children with two healthy parents.

Whether the stress of having a parent with cancer also affects the children’s physical wellbeing hasn’t been studied much. One concern in particular is whether these children may be at increased risk of injury. Injuries are the most common reason for a child to visit a hospital and in some cases lead to deaths. Children who are not well supervised or whose parents have poor mental health are at increased risk of injury. Coping with cancer and the mental anguish it causes may distract parents and possibly place their children at increased risk of injury.

Based on data from nationwide population and health registers in Sweden, Chen, Regodón Wallin et al. now provide evidence that a child with a parent who has cancer is at a greater risk of injury than a child with two parents who are free of cancer. The analysis also revealed that the risk is particularly great if the parent with cancer also develops mental illness after the cancer diagnosis. The risk of injury is greatest in the first year after the parent’s diagnosis. Fortunately, the elevated risk of injury decreases overtime and is almost non-existing after the third year. The analyses suggest that providing extra support for parents with cancer might help to reduce the risk of injury in their children.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08500.002