Trajectories of resilience and posttraumatic stress in childhood cancer: Consistency of child and parent outcomes.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katianne Sharp ◽  
Rachel Tillery ◽  
Alanna Long ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Haitao Pan ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
F. Daniel Armstrong ◽  
Maria L. Goldman

Childhood cancer is a rare disease, accounting for only 1% of all malignancies in humans of all ages. In 2007, approximately 10,400 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in children 14 years of age and younger (American Cancer Society 2007). Significant advances in diagnostic techniques and tailored treatments during the past three decades have increased the 5-year survival rate for all cancers to over 80% (Twombly 2007). For acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, the current survival rate is approaching 90% (Pui and Howard 2008). Better survival has led to increased awareness and focus on the consequences of cancer treatment, called late effects. The Children’s Oncology Group has developed and published guidelines for monitoring childhood cancer survivors for late effects in nearly every organ system (Landier et al. 2004), with a recent growing interest in those affecting cognitive, academic, social, and behavioral function (Nathan et al. 2007), which are the focus of this chapter. It was long assumed that a cancer diagnosis and the severe toxicity associated with treatment was such a traumatic event that significant adverse psychological consequences were inevitable. Recent, large reports from the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Study and reviews of smaller studies suggest that this is not the case for the majority of children and adolescents treated for and surviving cancer (Eiser, Hill, and Vance 2000; Zebrack et al. 2002; Zeltzer et al. 2009). With the exception of children who experience central nervous system (CNS) cancer or cancer treatment (Zebrack et al. 2004), most childhood cancer survivors are not significantly different from the general population on measures of depression (Phipps and Srivastava 1999), selfesteem (Noll et al. 1999), hopefulness (Ritchie 2001), or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some children experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress during acute treatment, but these symptoms diminish over time (Phipps et al. 2006). For children with CNS cancer or who receive treatment that affects the CNS, the picture is somewhat different, with poorer emotional and social functioning, neurocognitive function, and overall health-related quality of life (HRQL) reported in this subpopulation (Calaminus et al. 2000; Vannatta et al. 2007).


2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. S384
Author(s):  
Hilary Marusak ◽  
Riley Stewart ◽  
Xhenis Brahimi ◽  
Allesandra Iadipaolo ◽  
Craig Peters ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. CRA10002-CRA10002
Author(s):  
M. Stuber ◽  
K. Meeske ◽  
B. Zebrack ◽  
K. Krull ◽  
K. Stratton ◽  
...  

CRA10002 Background: This study examined prevalence and demographic- and disease-related correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 6,542 adult childhood cancer survivors and 368 siblings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Methods: Subjects were dichotomized based on full PTSD criteria, using the Foa PTSD self-report measure to assess posttraumatic stress symptoms of intrusion of unwanted memories, avoidance of event reminders, and increased startle response, and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and the SF-36 subscale, role limitation due to emotional health, to evaluate clinical distress or impaired function. A self-report questionnaire provided demographic information and medical abstraction provided cancer reatment data. Multivariable generalized linear models were used to compare prevalence of PTSD among cancer survivors to siblings and to examine relationships between PTSD and demographic and disease-related factors. Relative risks (RR) were calculated based on a Poisson distribution with robust error variances. Results: Five hundred eighty-nine (9%) childhood cancer survivors and 8 (2%) siblings met criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD (RR = 3.83, 95% CI 1.96–7.48, p < 0.0001). Among cancer survivors, there was significantly more PTSD reported by women from minority backgrounds (p < 0.05). Other demographic factors associated with PTSD were having less than a college education (p < 0.05), being unmarried (p < 0.001), having an annual income less than $20,000 (p < 0.05) and being unemployed (p = 0.001). Risk of PTSD was significantly higher for survivors diagnosed at ages 15 to 20 years (p < 0.05). PTSD was more common among survivors treated with intensive chemotherapy (p < 0.05) or radiation therapy (p < 0.001) and who relapsed or developed a second malignant neoplasm (p < 0.001). Neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor survivors had a significantly lower risk of PTSD than did leukemia survivors (p < 0.05). Conclusions: While the majority of childhood cancer survivors did not demonstrate PTSD, a clinically significant number did meet diagnostic criteria. Prospective assessment of survivors with high risk demographic-, diagnosis-, and treatment-related characteristics should be considered as part of long-term health screening. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 604-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.E. Langeveld ◽  
M.A. Grootenhuis ◽  
P.A. Voûte ◽  
R.J. de Haan

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (30) ◽  
pp. 7405-7410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Kazak ◽  
C. Alexandra Boeving ◽  
Melissa A. Alderfer ◽  
Wei-Ting Hwang ◽  
Anne Reilly

Purpose The conceptualization of childhood cancer and its treatment as traumatic has gained increasing support in the growing literature on medically related posttraumatic stress. Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) such as intrusive thoughts, physiologic arousal, and avoidance have been documented in mothers and fathers of childhood cancer survivors. In this study we investigated the presence of PTSS in parents of children currently in treatment and their association with treatment intensity and length of time since diagnosis. Methods Mothers (N = 119) and fathers (N = 52) of children currently in treatment for a childhood malignancy completed questionnaire measures of PTSS. Outcomes on these measures were compared with a sample of parents of childhood cancer survivors from our hospital. Oncologist ratings of treatment intensity were obtained based on diagnosis, treatment modalities, and protocol number. Results All but one parent reported PTSS. Mean scores indicated moderate PTSS for both mothers and fathers. In families with two participating parents, nearly 80% had at least one parent with moderate-to-severe PTSS. There were minimal associations between PTSS and length of time since diagnosis. Conclusion PTSS are common among parents of children currently undergoing cancer treatment. Trauma-informed psychosocial interventions can be used to help patients and families, including normalizing the experience as potentially traumatic and using evidence-based interventions that are emerging to facilitate long-term well-being.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Allen ◽  
Victoria W. Willard ◽  
James L. Klosky ◽  
Chenghong Li ◽  
D. Kumar Srivastava ◽  
...  

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 958-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Stuber ◽  
A. E. Kazak ◽  
K. Meeske ◽  
L. Barakat ◽  
D. Guthrie ◽  
...  

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