{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T19:37:28Z","timestamp":1790969848072,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,12]],"date-time":"2025-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749686400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Elizabeth\u2019s Smile Foundation","award":["P30-CA051008"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["P30-CA051008"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: Assess mental health professionals\u2019 attitudes regarding the timing and characteristics of therapeutic interventions for children whose parents have incurable cancer, and whether professionals would use artificial intelligence (AI) in these interventions. Methods: Professionals were surveyed about their therapeutic approaches to caring for children when parents have incurable cancer under different scenarios. Data from N = 294 (69% male, 72% white, 26% Latine, 56% rural or underserved communities) physicians, psychologists, social workers, hospital chaplains, community health workers, and others were analyzed. Attitudes surrounding the timing and characteristics of interventions across the parent\u2019s cancer journey were compared, including how professionals believed interventions should attend to dimensions of the child or family, and if, how, and when AI technology could be introduced. Results: Across 10 dimensions of childhood, (1) the child\u2019s premorbid exposure to traumatic events, (2) a surviving parent\u2019s presence, and (3) the child\u2019s age were important factors to consider when making mental health care decisions in this context. The professionals reported being more likely to introduce therapeutic resources as early as possible in the parent\u2019s illness (i.e., upon diagnosis). Regarding the use of AI, 87% foresaw its role in supporting children\u2019s mental health. While 93.2% agreed that a grieving child could be helped by interacting with an AI-generated likeness of the deceased parent, when AI\u2019s use was contextualized in providing support for a child who lost a parent to cancer, only 49% believed AI was appropriate. The participants were conflicted over when AI could be first introduced, either upon a parent\u2019s illness diagnosis (19.4%), during a parent\u2019s treatment (19.0%), or as part of a parent\u2019s hospice care (12.6%). None believed it to be appropriate following the loss of the parent to cancer. Conclusions: AI is increasingly present in children\u2019s daily lives and quickly infiltrating health care with widely accessible mental health chatbots. Concerns about privacy, the accuracy of information, and the anthropomorphism of AI tools by children give professionals pause before introducing such technology. Proceeding with great caution is urged until more is known about the impact of AI on children\u2019s mental health, grief, and psychological well-being in the context of parental cancer.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12060763","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,12]],"date-time":"2025-06-12T07:44:23Z","timestamp":1749714263000},"page":"763","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Mental Health Professionals\u2019 Views on Artificial Intelligence as an Aide for Children Anticipating or Suffering the Loss of a Parent to Cancer: Helpful or Harmful?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Mary Rose","family":"Yockel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA"},{"name":"Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"suffix":"Jr.","given":"Marcelo M.","family":"Sleiman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-9343-5535","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Heather","family":"Doherty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rachel","family":"Adams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Palliative Care, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kimberly M.","family":"Davis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hunter","family":"Groninger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Palliative Care, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4746-7911","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christina","family":"Sharkey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matthew G.","family":"Biel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muriel R.","family":"Statman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kenneth P.","family":"Tercyak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA"},{"name":"Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1017","DOI":"10.1177\/0269216319857622","article-title":"Challenges and support needs of parents and children when a parent is at end of life: A systematic review","volume":"33","author":"Hanna","year":"2019","journal-title":"Palliat. 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