Importance: A cancer diagnosis can adversely affect other members of the family, including children. However, little is known about the extent to which history of parental cancer affects children's health.
Objective: To examine associations of parental cancer with children's school absenteeism, medical care unaffordability, health care use, and mental health.
Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional, nationally representative study used data from the 2010-2018 National Health Interview Survey. Statistical analyses were conducted from January to September 2021. Children aged 5 to 17 years living in families with and without a history of parental cancer were identified. Characteristics were grouped into child, parent, and family variables. Sequential multivariable regressions were conducted for unadjusted analyses and with the adjustment of child, parent, and family characteristics to assess associations between parental cancer and child outcomes.
Exposures: History of parental cancer.
Main outcomes and measures: School absenteeism, medical care unaffordability, health care use, and mental health.
Results: A total of 1232 children (mean [SD] age, 11.7 [0.13] years; 579 [48.6%] female; weighted N = 846 730; 3.4% of total sample) were living in families with a history of parental cancer. Compared with 33 870 children without a history of parental cancer (mean [SD] age, 10.8 [0.03]; 16 287 [48.8%] female; weighted N = 24 315 452; 96.6% of total sample), children of cancer survivors were more likely to be older, non-Hispanic White, and living in single parent families. Parents with a history of cancer were more likely to be older, to be female, to have more comorbid conditions, and to have public health insurance compared with parents without a history of cancer. History of parental cancer was adversely associated with school absenteeism, medical care unaffordability, health care use, and mental health among children. Sequential adjustment with child, parent, and family characteristics reduced the magnitude of the associations. For example, the odds ratios for school absenteeism of 1 day or more changed from 1.33 (95% CI, 1.11-1.59; P = .002) to 1.12 (95% CI, 0.93-1.34; P = .23) and for any child hospital emergency department visit from 1.56 (95% CI, 1.31-1.86; P < .001) to 1.36 (95 % CI, 1.13-1.64; P < .001). Similar results were found for medical care unaffordability, prescription medication use, and mental health.
Conclusions and relevance: In this study, parental cancer was associated with school absenteeism, medical care unaffordability, increased health care use, and poor mental health among children. Health care professionals and policies should consider the unique needs of affected children and develop school-, parent-, and family-directed strategies to ameliorate the negative associations between parental cancer and children's health.