Effects on Pediatric Cancer Survivors: The FAMily-Oriented Support (FAMOS) Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Oncology
• Psychological Trauma
• Family Therapy

Background:

• Pediatric cancer survivors often experience medical traumatic stress.
• Early childhood cancer survivors (ages 2-5) are a vulnerable population requiring targeted support.
• The FAMily-Oriented Support (FAMOS) program aims to mitigate these adverse psychological effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the FAMOS family therapy program's effectiveness in reducing parent-reported medical traumatic stress in young pediatric cancer survivors (ages 2-5).
• To analyze secondary outcomes related to trauma-related behaviors and parental depression.
• To investigate potential mediation effects of parental depression on child outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A national multicenter randomized controlled trial (NCT02200731) involving four Danish pediatric oncology departments.
• Parallel group design (1:1) comparing the FAMOS intervention (seven home-based psychotherapeutic sessions) to usual care.
• Data collected from parents at baseline, 6, and 12 months using questionnaires; analyzed with linear mixed-effects models for 62 children.

Main Results:

• Children in the FAMOS intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in trauma-related behaviors at 6 and 12 months compared to the control group (p=.02 and p=.003, respectively).
• The positive effect on trauma-related behavior was partially mediated by reduced depressive symptoms in mothers.
• No significant mediation effect was observed through fathers' depressive symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The FAMOS intervention demonstrates significant positive effects on trauma-related behaviors in young pediatric cancer survivors.
• Findings add to previous evidence of FAMOS improving parental post-traumatic stress and depression.
• Further research is warranted to refine therapeutic approaches for children impacted by cancer.