COPE in Parents of Children Diagnosed with Cancer

The proposed research study is designed to facilitate coping interventions in parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer. This coping intervention is designed to (a) increase the parent's ability to cope with the diagnosis of their child's cancer, (b) decrease anxiety, depressive symptoms, and stress in parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer, and (c) enhance parental beliefs in their parental abilities after their child's cancer diagnosis (i.e. understanding changes in their child's behavior and how they can best help their child after diagnosis), and (d) improve the child's internalizing behaviors which are reflected in the child's internal psychological environment (i.e. anxiety and fearfulness) and externalizing behaviors which are reflected by the child reacting negatively to the environment (i.e. acting out behaviors including temper tantrums, screaming, and uncooperative behaviors).