Social adjustment of children successfully treated for cancer

Compared 56 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years to a sample of healthy controls. All cancer patients had been treated between the ages of 2 and 5 years. Children completed the Self-Perception Profile for children and questionnaires assessing social adjustment. Parent and teacher ratings were also obtained. The cancer patients reported greater feelings of isolation than the controls but otherwise few differences were noted. There were few differences between cancer patients and controls in the teacher and parent report. Results are discussed in terms of the need to investigate behavioral sequelae of childhood illness and directions for future research.