Grant: Master's Award - Priority Announcement: Childhood Cancer (SHOPP)

According to the Canadian Cancer Society approximately 850 children are diagnosed with cancer yearly, therefore about 850 families will experience a major life stressor annually. Two major life stressors include finding out about the diagnosis and adjusting to treatment demands. Parents play a central role in the life of a child diagnosed with cancer. They must provide the home care for the child and as a result must be equipped with coping skills to deal with the demands of work, family care and care for the diagnosed child. When social and informational support are used the family is seen as a unit, optimism is maintained and the parent is more capable of understanding the child's diagnosis and treatment. Thereby, social support plays an important role in the care of a child diagnosed with cancer. yet some parents do not seek social support, which may be due to their geographic location, isolation, or lack of time. Considering the popularity of social media sites such as Facebook, an examination of the role of the virtual social support system in increasing coping could provide insight into an additional avenue of inexpensive patient and family support.