General Family Functioning as a Predictor of Quality of Life in Parents of Children With Cancer.

PURPOSE: The diagnosis of cancer in a child brings about a crisis for the whole family. This study aimed to (1) determine family functioning and parents' quality of life in comparison with groups in relevant studies, (2) assess the correlation between dimensions of family functioning and parents' quality of life domains, and (3) explore the predictive role of general family functioning (GFF) for quality of life domains in a sample of families (mother-father as a dyad) of children with cancer.

DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study which was performed on 62 pairs of parents of children with cancer (n = 124). Data were collected using the Demographic-Clinical Information Questionnaire, validated Persian versions of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) and the World Health Organization's Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BRFF). The Canonical Correlation Analysis and the Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model were used for data analysis.

RESULTS: All dimensions of the FAD were reported as unhealthy dimensions. Also, a poor quality of life was reported in all domains by parents. Most of the family functioning dimensions were correlated with quality of life domains. Consequently, after controlling for several demographic and clinical variables the GFF was the most important predictor of parents' quality of life and its domains.

CONCLUSIONS: The GFF should be measured at the first meeting with a family of a child with cancer and during the follow-up meetings to help plan family empowerment interventions.