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Coping and Social Adjustment in Pediatric Oncology: From Diagnosis to 12 Months
Leandra Desjardins1, Erin Rodriguez2, Madeline Dunn2
1Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Insights
Children with cancer face social adjustment challenges. Coping strategies like primary and secondary control may help improve social adjustment during the first year after diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Child Psychology
- Social Adjustment
Background:
- Children with cancer experience significant stress from diagnosis and treatment.
- These stressors place them at higher risk for social adjustment difficulties.
- Understanding coping mechanisms is crucial for supporting these children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between coping strategies and social adjustment in children with cancer.
- To examine this association during the first year following a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Mothers of 312 children (ages 5-17) with cancer reported on their child's social adjustment and coping.
- Data were collected near diagnosis (T1) and 12 months later (T2).
Main Results:
- Primary, secondary control, and disengagement coping were linked to social adjustment at 12 months.
- However, baseline coping strategies did not predict later social problems in a multivariate model.
Conclusions:
- Coping strategies are associated with concurrent social adjustment in children with cancer.
- Interventions focusing on primary and secondary control coping may support youth social adjustment.
- Further research is needed to optimize support for social adjustment in this population.
Objective:
Children diagnosed with cancer experience stress associated with their diagnosis and treatment and are at heightened risk for problems in social adjustment. This study investigated the association between coping with cancer-related stress and problems in social adjustment across the first year after a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
Methods:
Mothers of children (ages 5-17 years) with cancer (N = 312) were recruited from two children's hospitals. Mother's reported on their child's social adjustment and coping near diagnosis (T1) and 12 months (T2).
Results:
Primary, secondary control, and disengagement coping were significantly associated with concurrent social adjustment at 12 months. The bivariate associations between baseline primary and secondary control coping and social problems 12 months later were no longer significant in a multivariate regression model.
Conclusions:
These findings inform our understanding of the association between coping with cancer-related stress and social adjustment of children diagnosed with cancer. Interventions teaching primary and secondary control coping strategies for cancer-related stressors may offer some benefit to concurrent youth social adjustment. Further research is needed on how best to support social adjustment in this population over time.
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