[Exploration of social support available to mothers of children with cancer, their health status, and other factors related to their family function].

: The mother is typically the primary caregiver for children suffering from cancer. The long-term care responsibilities involved with caring for a cancer-stricken child impacts upon the mother's family role and functions and causes lifestyle changes or imbalances. The aim of this study was to explore social support, health status, and related factors in families of children with cancer. This study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design. Study subjects consisted of 120 mothers of children with cancer recruited from the outpatient and inpatient departments of two medical centers in southern Taiwan between January and April 2006. Research instruments included demographic characterizations of the children with cancer, their mothers, and families; the Social Support: Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ85) part 2, the Duke Health Profile (DUKE), and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Results showed a mean score of social support for mothers of children with cancer was 131.21 out of a total possible 175. The standard score for social support was 75.0. The standard score for health was 67.15. The mean score of family functioning was 128.48 out of a total possible 240. The standard score of family function was 53.53. Mother's age, marriage, family type, family socioeconomic stage, disease stage, and relapse of child's disease all had a statistically significant relationship to family function. Significant positive relationships were identified between the two variables social support and health status and family function. Mother's health, social support, disease relapse, and mother's age were significant predictors of mother's family function, explaining 42% of variance in family function for mothers of children with cancer. We hope findings will help clinical health professionals identify and implement nursing strategies to increase the health of mothers and their children as well as promote social support to strengthen family functions.