A reexamination of a childhood cancer stereotype

To examine whether young adults have stereotypical beliefs toward children who have been treated for cancer.

Undergraduate participants read a vignette describing a child labeled either healthy (HL), in remission from cancer and no longer undergoing treatment (RCL), or in remission and still undergoing treatment (RCTL) and rated the child on the Ratings of the Child Questionnaire (ROCQ). Univariate and multivariate analyses of variance were conducted.

Participants rated the HL child more positively than the RCL or RCTL child; the RCL and RCTL child ratings did not differ. Females evaluated the child more positively than did males.

These results support previous findings of a childhood cancer stereotype. However, effect sizes were small, which may indicate a weak stereotype with these specific participants.