Family resilience and its influencing factors among families of children with malignant tumors during initial chemotherapy: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background During the primary chemotherapy of pediatric malignant tumors, the physical and mental health of family members can be seriously affected. Family resilience has been shown to be a protective factor. Objectives To investigate family resilience in families with children who were first diagnosed malignant tumors and started chemotherapy, and which factors have a significant impact on family resilience. Methods In this study, 265 families of children who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were screened as the study sample in the pediatric hematology-oncology department at a Grade A tertiary Hospital in Sichuan Province from January to December 2023 by convenience sampling method. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with the General Information Questionnaire, the Chinese-Family Resilience Assessment Scale, the Family APGAR Index, the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Social Support Rating Scale. Results The family resilience score of children with malignant tumors in this study was (131.40 ± 12.41), of which 50.94% were in the moderate group. The key influencing factors are a total of eight variables (family functioning, monthly family income > 10,000 CNY, residence in township/county, occupation as a farmer, residence in prefecture/autonomous prefecture, subjective support, active coping, and utilization of support), explained R 2 = 30.6% of the total variation. Conclusion Most families demonstrated better resilience during the initial chemotherapy period of children with malignant tumors. Family functioning, level of monthly family income, and residence were particularly strong predictors of family resilience. Implications for Practice These findings may provide guidance for the care of children with malignant tumors during primary chemotherapy.