Parental Illness and Adolescent Development

What happens when, as an adolescent, your parent encounters a major medical illness? This article reviews what is known of the prevalence and impact on adolescent development of parental illness.

We explore what is known and briefly summarize existing literature targeting cancer, AIDS, and other illnesses (e.g., multiple sclerosis).

We explore what is not known, focusing on the reality of extant empirical literature further compounded by methodological limitations (e.g., primary reliance on parental reports; cross-sectional research).

Given both what we know and do not know, we discuss implications for concerned professionals including providing information to adolescents, supporting parental adjustment as an avenue to mediating the impact of illness, and providing developmentally appropriate support groups for adolescents.