Close, however distant: the marital relationship between parents of children with cancer

Abstract

The diagnosis of a chronic disease like child cancer is followed by a series of changes that alter the whole family balance, in its different sub-systems, including the marital relationship. This reflexive study aimed to contribute to discussions about the estrangement between a couple as one of the possible repercussions of the child’s disease for the marital relationship between parents of children with cancer. To support the reflection, a literature review was carried out in international databases, between 1997 and 2010, using controlled descriptors in different combinations. It highlights some changes that cancer brings to couples’ marital interaction, according to the stages of the disease and the different ways that distancing between couples occurs during the treatment of the child. It also highlights couples relationship as an important care focus to be considered by health professionals, especially nurses, with a view to supporting and encouraging the couple to seek strategies to mobilize their own resources and expand the possibilities of a closer relationship, in favor of the treatment of the child.