Family support

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There is increasingly robust evidence to suggest that depressed and anxious people have poorer outcomes after cancer. For example, researchers followed 217 newly diagnosed patients with kidney cancer, over a five year period. They found that the patients who had symptoms of depression had shorter survival times. They also measured salivary cortisol levels, a marker for stress. Those with higher stress levels were also linked to shorter survival. This trial confirms that it is advisable to try to improve psychological well being after.

There are a number of factors which can improve psychological well being, including; being better prepared for treatment, taking regular exercise but family support is a very important factor. For example, in a study involving 168 women with ovarian cancer, published recently in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers reported that after nearly five years, a higher percentage of study patients who were classified as having strong emotional and family support were alive, compared to those with lower levels of emotional support.

Family harmony is thus very important after cancer so with emotions running high it not a good time to be upset further by destructive arguments. The practical little book called Simple Tips for a Happy Family, it attempts to reduce the number of arguments with families especially those with young children. It has  identified the situations where arguments are most likely to happen, what are the common trigger points and offers practical tips to avoid them.

The book was researched and written by an editorial team included adults and children from traditional, single parent and divorced families from a wide range of cultural backgrounds making it relevant to all types of families.

Simple tips for a happy family
 (ISBN 978-0-9558212-0-2)
 

Available as an electronic download £1.99 (+ 0.40p)

Also available as a hard copy from Lulu although prices vary