Palliative care providers need to take note of this because:
Palliative care is not only for the patient, but also for the family,
Adolescents among patients go through the combined challenges of dealing with adolescence as well as with a serious illness, and
Adolescents among family members of patients feel neglected and challenged emotionally and socially.
A word of caution, nevertheless: While the first question would be very good as part of screening by a pediatrician who already has built a relationship with the young person, it could be felt as insensitive and as an invasion of self, if administered by an investigator, especially if abruptly. The question involves exploration of a certain space in one’s mind that is extremely private.
