Interactions between Childhood Illness and the Family

Principal Investigator: Whitney Witt

(Funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Dr. Whitney Witt is the Principal Investigator of a five-year career development grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to examine the impact of childhood illness on the family. As part of this work she will assess and compare the level of psychological stress, both self-reported and biologically measured, between parents of children with cancer and parents of children without cancer. Moreover, this study will examine the feasibility, performance, and comparability of stress biomarkers and perceived psychological stress among parental caregivers and how such measures are related to child health outcomes. Little is known about the long-term socio-economic, family functioning, and health impact on children with illness in families across the US. The results from this research may lead to a new understanding of the longitudinal perceived and biological impact of childhood chronic illness on the family and help improve the health and well being of children with chronic illness and their families.