Following a cancer diagnosis, many parents say they are concerned about the impacts of the cancer on their child. They feel less able to respond to their needs and experience difficulties in regulating their emotions faced with their responses.

The objective of this study is to test the effectiveness of a psychological parenting support intervention centred around help to be given to children in the oncological context, for significant carers of children. The intervention focuses on knowledge, communication, the feeling of parental self-efficacy and emotional regulation associated with support of the child.

The effectiveness of the parenting support intervention is evaluated in the context of a randomized controlled longitudinal study. Under the experimental conditions, significant carers of children receive an information brochure and benefit from a five-session psychological intervention centred around the support to be provided to the child through communication in the context of parental cancer. Under the control conditions, child carers receive the same information brochure and then are registered on a waiting list. Two evaluation times are specified: an initial evaluation common to the “experimental” condition carers and the “control” condition carers marks the start of the procedure. The second evaluation time will be after the intervention in the case of the “experimental” condition carers and 9 weeks after the initial evaluation in the case of the “control” condition carers.

For the significant carers this intervention should help improve their knowledge and communication associated with support for the child, but also their feeling of parental self-efficacy and their emotional regulation.