Parent-child relationships and quality of life: Resilience among childhood cancer survivors

According to The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation, certain family strengths can promote positive outcomes for children undergoing adverse or stressful circumstances. We proposed that chief among these potential strengths are high quality parent-child relationships. Data from self-report questionnaires from 190 long-term survivors (3+ years posttreatment) of childhood cancer were analyzed. The findings indicated that survivors who report better relationships with their mothers and fathers consistently report a higher quality of life, especially in the psychological domain. Although survivors reported better relationships with their mothers than with their fathers, father-child relations were associated more highly with survivors' reports of selective quality of life scales. Important implications for family therapists and practitioners are discussed, especially those that employ a growth or resilience approach.