BACKGROUND: 

Despite the average 5-year survival rate reaching >85%,¹ childhood cancer is still the most common cause of death by disease among children in Sweden.² As caretakers of a child, parents often feel a strong sense of responsibility for their child’s well-being.^3–5 It has been reported that parents experience a range of adverse reactions after their child is diagnosed with cancer, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).^6–8 Some parents experience long-lasting psychological distress⁹ and have difficulties with transitioning back to normal life,¹⁰ even years after their child’s cancer treatment.^11–13 They may additionally struggle with employment challenges as well as prolonged care demands.¹⁴ To cope with these mental challenges, parents may turn to psychotropic medication.

A population-based study in Denmark¹⁵ explored the likelihood of newly initiated psychotropic medication. Parents who already had a psychotropic medication prescription before their child’s cancer diagnosis were excluded from the study population. The exclusion of these individuals may lead to the omission of some valuable information, and we cannot obtain a full picture of the potential changes in medication use among parents who had poor mental health conditions before the child’s cancer diagnosis. A Finnish study¹⁶ included existing psychotropic medication users among parents and examined the changes in the annual proportion of individuals who purchased psychotropic medication at least once. However, none of these studies accounted for variations in medication dosage, which could result in overlooking changes in dosage levels. By considering the changes in dosage, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the psychotropic medication dynamics and whether parents seek to alleviate their emotional burden in the face of such a challenging situation.