Impact of Cancer on The Entire Family

Introduction:

Day by day, the concept of caring in the medical field is becoming increasingly comprehensive and meaningful. In nursing, the need to explore other dimensions of nursing care to fulfil patients' needs of care has increased significantly. Nursing care is now extending to other aspects of patient and family concerns, rather than only focusing on the physical treatment. This means that nursing care can be more effective and less costly when, for example, the participation of the patients' families is facilitated in general medical care, in addition to more involved family interactions (Wright & Leahey, 2005). 

Although Ovarian Cancer is a broad topic, the focus of this literature review will be limited to peer reviewed in the form of journals and textbooks. The paper aims to identify the effects of Ovarian Cancer on the family members’ lives. These effects of Ovarian Cancer on the family will be explored in the following aspects: financial position, psychological impact, sociological challenge, activity and the lifestyle of the family. Knowing these effects will help family nursing to make a comprehensive family assessment of the family members who have a patient diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. 

Background:

Wright and Leahey (2005) believe that the role of patients' families is important for providing integrated care with the nurses' cooperation. Before 1900, few hospitals and families delivered care for patients. By 1950, nurses provided complete care for patients in hospitals. However, in 1990, the families provided care for patients as much as possible due to the increases in medical care expenses, in addition to the increased number of patients. Therefore, the family's role has become progressively more vital due to the patients’ length of stay, which needs to be reduced to save care expenses without affecting the quality of care standards (Wright & Leahey, 2005).

Many articles are relevant to this topic; however, this review will only consider the limited range of academically credible articles available. In order to obtain authoritative articles, the reader must know how to differentiate between reliable and unreliable sources. The articles have been chosen from different medical databases, and were selected on the basis that a link was made between the case, and the impact on the life of the patient and the entire family. In addition to these articles, the textbook Nurses and Families: A Guide to Family Assessment and Intervention will be used. This textbook suggests many ideas to reduce the length of hospitalization. It also aims to further involve the families in caring for their ill members. This can be achieved by putting more responsibilities on the shoulders of families to care for their sick relative. 

The financial impact on the family:

Disease may considerably affect the financial position of the family. Ovarian cancer has a multiple effects that are not always directly related to the deterioration of the physical state of patients, but often also involve financial aspects of their lives and their families (Ehrlich et al., 2007; Hausen, 1991). Nevertheless, it is well known that the treatment of cancer needs the application of the most advanced medications and methods of treatment. This means that the patients need to use medications and techniques that are not always fully covered by insurance. But even when the treatment is covered by insurance, the patients still need special nutrition and comfortable living conditions which naturally need increased financial expenditures of the entire family (Goff et al., 2004). As a result, family members need to support patients financially because with such condition hardly afford the increased expenditures, particularly if they are unable to work, which is going to be discussed below.

The social impact on the family:

The family’s social position becomes more difficult as the disease dramatically changes their social roles and the activities they were practicing. Ovarian Cancer leads to the loss of the position of an individual in the labour market. Moreover, in the last stages of the disease, an individual may simply become physically unable to work (Jemal, 2005, cited in Goff et al., 2007). This is why the activities, social role and status of the ill person decrease and become less important. Nordner and Ahlberg (2006, p.56) have conducted a study on the importance of group therapy for patients with Ovarian Cancer and they found that it helped them to “share experiences and emotions, exchanging informational support, and exchanging of emotional support”. Consequently, the family should support its ill member in this way. However, such limitations in physical capabilities and social status affect the entire family, where other members may even face problems from a long-term perspective, such as the change of work or residence, because of the necessity to take care of and support the patient with Ovarian Cancer (Goff et al., 2007).

The psychological impact on the family:

The psychological impact of Ovarian Cancer on the patients and their family may be even more significant than financial or social impacts. Brinton et al. (2005) share the idea that being diagnosed with cancer causes very serious psychological stress, because, no matter how advanced modern medicine is or regardless of the optimism of the ill person and members of the family, Ovarian Cancer is still a disease that threatens not only the health, but the life of the patient. This is why the families need to overcome such serious stress and prepare themselves to treat and help the mother in this disease. At the same time, the family should be ready for any negative or unsuccessful results of the treatment, because it is not always possible to save the life of a patient who has been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer (Brinton et al., 2005).

The psychological impact of the disease may be particularly dangerous for children and adolescents, since they are more susceptible to the negative effects of the progression of the disease and the changes that have occurred in their environment. Children are more dependent on their parents who are extremely significant for them. Thus, Turner et al. (2007) underline that children should be prepared by health care professionals to adequately understand their parent’s illness. Health care professionals, including nurses, should be able to prepare children as well as professionally consult with parents concerning the changing health condition and position of the ill parent (Turner et al., 2007).  

Faulkner and Davey (2002) have made recommendations to parents and health care professionals concerning the actions and behaviours they should adapt in relation to children whose parent suffers from cancer. They recommend explaining to young children that cancer is not contagious, and remove any blame the children may have if they think they caused the illness. Moreover, the ill parent should be always in touch with the children in order to maintain the children’s conviction that the parent loves them. Furthermore, parents should answer children honestly to make them feel safe, and to prepare children for the possible effects of treatment. Finally, it is recommended to let the children help, but, at the same time, they should not be overburdened with responsibility (Faulkner & Davey, 2002).

The impact of cancer on the family lifestyle:

In the situation of patients suffering from Ovarian Cancer, it is necessary to point out that such a disease considerably affects the lifestyle of patients and their families are used to. The family faces the serious problem of the survival of one of its members. Naturally, the struggle with this disease and its effect leads to a change in the family’s lifestyle, because patients can not complete the functions they traditionally fulfilled in the family. In fact, patients can hardly continue the lifestyle they practiced before, as the disease greatly limits their physical capabilities (Dalmasso et al., 2005). The further progression of the disease can deteriorate the state of patients and practically deprive them of an opportunity to a normal family life (Goff et al., 2004). The entire family is focused on saving the life of its ill member and, consequently, its members change their lifestyles by taking care of the mother as one of their major priorities.

Conclusion:

To sum up, Ovarian Cancer is a serious illness among women globly. The literature review has discussed the challenges facing the entire family. In addition, it has been proven throughout the literature that it is possible to conclude that cancer, especially Ovarian Cancer, produces a profound impact on the life of the patients and the patients’ families, affecting their social and financial positions as well as the psychological states which limit their activities and change their lifestyles.

References:

Brinton, L. A., Moghissi, K. S., Scoccia, B., Westhoff, C. L., & Lamb, E. J. (2005). Ovulation induction and cancer risk. Fertility and Sterility, 83(2), 261-274.

Dalmasso, P., Pastore, G., Zuccolo, L., Maule, M. M., Pearce, N., Merletti, F., & Magnani, C. (2005). Temporal trends in the incidence of childhood leukemia, lymphomas and solid tumors in north-west Italy. A report of the Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont”. Haematologica, 90 (9): 1197-204.

Ehrlich, P. F., Teitelbaum, D. H., Hirschl, R. B., & Rescorla, F. (2007). Excision of large cystic ovarian tumors: combining minimal invasive surgery techniques and cancer surgery--the best of both worlds. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 42(5), 890-893.

Faulkner, R. A., & Davey, M. (2002). Children and Adolescents of Cancer Patients: The Impact of Cancer on the Family. American Journal of Family Therapy, 30(1), 63-72.

Goff B. A., Mandel L. S., Drescher C. W., Urban N., Gough S., Schurman K. M., Patras J., Mahony B. S., & Andersen M. R. (2007). Development of an ovarian cancer symptom index: Possibilities for Earlier Detection. Cancer, 109(2), 221-227.

Goff, B. A., Mandel, L. S., Melancon, C. H., & Muntz, H. G. (2004). Frequency of symptoms of ovarian cancer in women presenting to primary care clinics. Journal of the American Medical Association, 291(22), 2705-2712.

Hausen, H. Z. (1991). Viruses in human cancers. Science, 254(5035), 1167.

Mannix, J., Jackson, D., & Raftos, M. (1999). Ovarian cancer: an update for nursing practice. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 5(1), 47-50.

Nordner, A., & Ahlberg, K. (2006). The Importance of Participation in Support Groups for Women With Ovarian Cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 33, E53-E61.

Turner, J., Clavarino, A., Yates, P., Hargraves, M., Connors, V., & Hausmann, S. (2007). Oncology nurses' perceptions of their supportive care for parents with advanced cancer: challenges and educational needs. Psycho-Oncology, 16(2), 149-157.

Wright, L. M., & Leahey, M. (2005). Nurses and families: a guide of family assessment and intervention (4th ed.). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.