Measurement of Family Function, Communication, and Cultural Effects

HEN THIS CONFERENCE was first planned, the three topics that form the title of this paper were intended as separate papers.However, in the interest of keeping the conference within manageable time limits, it was believed that the three topics should be handled in one paper.Thus, this paper will address, not one topic, but three: ( 1) family function; (2) communication; and(3) cross-cultural issues.Each topic as applied to adults alone is sufficiently complex and encompassing to deserve a separate paper.When one discusses these issues relative to children, problems surrounding the study of family functioning, communication, and cross-cultural effects take on added complexities.Since methodologic issues are sufficiently complex when discussing either children with cancer or adults with cancer, this paper will not attempt to cover both areas.This paper will focus on studies of children with cancer.Other research experts at this conference are more conversant with studies of adult cancer patients, and applications to adult cancer patients can hopefully be drawn from some of the concerns raised in this paper.This paper will cover the topics in the following order: ( l) cross-cultural issues; (2) communication; and (3) family functioning.Cross-Cultural Issues Social scientists of late have become increasingly concerned with cultural and subcultural differences as they affect psychological functioning in the health care setting. 1 -9 While medical advances can be applied with little change to people from a variety of cultural backgrounds throughout the world, the psychosocial differences in cultural background can make a major difference in the responses of individuals to the cancer experience.As researchers in the cancer field, we need to develop rigorous studies which can help sort out such differences.