Cancer in children did not affect parental divorce rates

There was no difference in divorce rates for parents of children with cancer compared with other couples; however, divorce rates were higher among parents of children with Wilms’ tumors and in couples in which the mother was highly educated.

Researchers hypothesized that increased parental burden and psychological stress from caring for a child with cancer may increase divorce rates among couples. To examine this possible association, they gathered data on 977,928 married couples aged 17 to 69 years with children aged 20 years or younger; 4,590 couples had a child with cancer.

Overall, the divorce rate was similar between couples with or without children with cancer; however, renal cancers (OR=1.52; 95% CI, 1.12-2.05), particularly Wilms’ tumor, was linked to increased risk for divorce. Type of cancer, child’s age at diagnosis, time elapsed from diagnosis, cancer with and without spread at time of diagnosis, duration of disease or death had no significant effect on parental divorce.

Mothers who had an education beyond high school had a 16% higher divorce rate than mothers who had a lower education level (95% CI, 1.02-1.33). Risk was highest for the first five years after diagnosis (OR=1.23; 95% CI, 1.02-1.50), with a 35% elevated divorce rate during the first few years.

The divorce rate was also increased for couples with a child with central nervous system cancers (OR=1.32), Wilms’ tumor (OR=1.64) and couples whose child died (OR=1.31).

Syse A. J Clin Oncol. 2010;doi:10.1200/JCO.2009.24.0556.