Temperament as a predictor of internalising and externalising problems in adolescent children of parents diagnosed with cancer

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between temperament and internalising and externalising problems among children of parents diagnosed with cancer, beyond the effects of socio-demographics, illness-related variables and life events. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred and forty adolescent children and their 212 parents diagnosed with cancer participated. Children and parents completed the Youth Self Report and the Child Behaviour Checklist, respectively. Children completed also the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire. MAIN RESULTS: Daughters of parents with cancer were reported as having more internalising problems than their counterparts did. Prevalence of problems did not depend on children’s and parents’ age or educational level. Recurrent disease and number of life events experienced by children and parents affected the problems reported. The most important temperament dimensions in the prediction of internalising problems in children were shyness and fear/worry, to a lesser extent, frustration and perceptual sensitivity (children only) and lower scores on pleasure intensity (parents only). Externalising problems were associated with effortful control and in children’s reports with frustration. Temperament seemed to be a more important predictor of problems reported by children than parents. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that temperament is useful in determining the relative vulnerability of children of parents who have been diagnosed with cancer. Social workers may help parents to recognise individual differences between children and to support children by using techniques that are compatible with the temperament of children.