Psychosocial Care in Paediatric Oncology

Author:  Barbara Grießmeier, Iris Lein-Köhler, Editor:  Ingrid Grüneberg, Reviewer:  Quality Assurance Division of the Psychosocial Working Group of the Society for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (PSAPOH), English Translation:  Dr. med. Gesche Riabowol (nee Tallen), Last modification: 2024/04/17 https://kinderkrebsinfo.de/doi/e226138

Childhood or adolescent cancer is a great burden and changes everyday life for the whole family for a long time. The treatment period requires the mobilisation of all forces and is a great challenge for all family members. After the initial shock of the cancer diagnosis and the confrontation with the life-threatening nature of the disease, most families manage to support each other and their sick child throughout the course of therapy.

Everyone in the immediate family (grandparents, siblings, parents, sick child) receives support from the psychosocial team.

Psychosocial care is an integral part of the treatment concept of all paediatric oncology centres in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The staff of the psychosocial teams, together with nurses and doctors, are contact persons, reliable companions, guides and supporters. The entire treatment team helps those affected and their families to maneuver such a new and sometimes overwhelming situation.

Psychosocial care means that the families are not left alone with all the stresses, the feelings that arise and organisational questions.

On our German-language websites, parents, patients and interested parties can find information about psychosocial care in paediatric oncology.

This information is written for parents and

• covers the period from suspected cancer to follow-up care,
• provides answers to frequently asked questions, information and tips for overcoming various challenges,
• provides structure during the course of therapy and suggestions on how families can accompany and support their sick child well,
• explains the psychosocial services offered by the treating institution,
• supports in dealing with concomitant symptoms of the disease,
• supports parenting through proven courses of action,
• helps coping.

Information in German can be found here. For automated translation into other languages, we recommend using a translation program. However, we would like to point out that we cannot assume any responsibility for the correctness of the foreign-language content generated this way.