Children, Parents and Carers in Illness: Role of Parenting in the Therapeutic Relationship

Journal title PNEI REVIEW
Author/s Stefania Carbonella, Marilena Coniglio, Eleonora Lombardi Mistura, Ornella Righi
Publishing Year 2023 Issue 2023/2 Language Italian
Pages 13 P. 35-47 File size 1088 KB
DOI 10.3280/PNEI2023-002004
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Illness in childhood involves the therapists’ awareness of taking charge of the «patient-parent» dyad. This occurs because the child’s emotional stabi- lity is based on the emotional synchrony of the dyad and on the attachment style, which constitutes both a neurobiological factor and a modulation of the stress axis. The relationship between parent and child produces different outcomes in the face of acute or chronic pathologies. In the case of an acute illness what happens is the development of enormous anxiety which reveals parental insecurity and produces excessive medical demands and inability to contain emotions. In the case of chronicity, however, the child’s illness develops severe distress, burn-out syndrome in the parents or, in the case of serious or ominous diagnoses such as oncological ones, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Since the fundamental importance of parental support in the treatment path for the prognostic outcomes of the disease is known, it is necessary for parents to undertake psychotherapeutic course to promote family resilience and support for therapies such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing).

Keywords: Acute disease, Chronic disease, Dyad, Stress, Resilience, Therapy.

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Stefania Carbonella, Marilena Coniglio, Eleonora Lombardi Mistura, Ornella Righi, Figli, genitori e curanti nella malattia: ruolo della genitorialità nella relazione terapeutica in "PNEI REVIEW" 2/2023, pp 35-47, DOI: 10.3280/PNEI2023-002004