'I Can't Tell My Child They Are Dying'. Helping Parents Have Conversations with Their Child

Title

'I Can't Tell My Child They Are Dying'. Helping Parents Have Conversations with Their Child

Creator

Aldridge J; Shimmon K; Miller M; Fraser LK; Wright B

Publisher

Archives Of Disease In Childhood. Education And Practice Edition

Date

2017

Subject

Child; General Paediatrics; Only Child; Palliative Care

Description

This paper explores the challenges of resolving conflicting feelings around talking with a child about their terminal prognosis. When children are left out of such conversations it is usually done with good intent, with a parent wishing to protect their child from anxiety or loss of hope. There is however growing evidence that sensitive, timely, age appropriate information from those with whom children have a good relationship is helpful both for the child and their family. There is no evidence that involving children in sensitive and timely discussions creates significant problems, rather that withholding information may lead to confusion, frustration, distress and anger. The authors discuss ways in which families can be supported to have these significant conversations with their children.

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Citation List Month

May 2017 List

Citation

Aldridge J; Shimmon K; Miller M; Fraser LK; Wright B, “'I Can't Tell My Child They Are Dying'. Helping Parents Have Conversations with Their Child,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/10832.