Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2025
Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
Published on: February 6, 2019
Psychosocial issues faced by children with cancer: Lessons learnt from a tertiary care center in South India
Sheena Shajan1, Hema N Srinivasan, Leenu L Joseph
1Department of Paediatrics, Paediatric Haematology-Oncology Unit, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Insights
Children with cancer face significant psychosocial challenges, often related to academics and treatment. Psychotherapy is effective for managing these issues across different age groups.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psycho-oncology
- Child Psychology
- Cancer Care
Background:
- Psychosocial issues significantly impact children with cancer.
- These critical concerns are frequently overlooked in clinical practice.
- Early identification and intervention are vital for improving quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To categorize and analyze the psychosocial issues in pediatric cancer patients.
- To investigate the prevalence of different psychosocial concern types.
- To examine age-specific patterns in psychosocial issues among these children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 212 children referred to a pediatric psycho-oncologist (June 2016 - September 2018).
- Psychosocial issues categorized as disease-related (DR), treatment-related (TR), interpersonal-related (IPR), and academic-related (AR).
- Interventions included counseling, psychotherapy, and psychiatric referral for pharmacologic therapy.
Main Results:
- Academic-related (AR) issues were most prevalent (44%), followed by treatment-related (TR) (29%), disease-related (DR) (19%), and interpersonal-related (IPR) (1%).
- Younger children (≤7 years) frequently experienced TR issues (48%), while older children (≥13 years) commonly faced AR issues (61%).
- 7% of patients presented with concerns across all four domains; 48% of young children had TR issues.
Conclusions:
- Children with cancer experience diverse psychosocial issues, classifiable into distinct clusters.
- The prevalence and type of psychosocial concerns vary significantly with age.
- Psychotherapy is a primary effective intervention for the majority of these patients.
Background:
Psychosocial issues adversely impact children with cancer but are seldom addressed.
Materials And Methods:
Children with cancer who were consecutively referred to the pediatric psycho-oncologist from June 2016 to September 2018 were included in a retrospective study. Psychosocial issues were categorized as disease related (DR), treatment related (TR), interpersonal related (IPR), and academic related (AR). The interventions provided were classified as counseling, prolonged psychotherapy, and referral to a child psychiatrist for pharmacologic therapy.
Results:
The mean age of the 212 children included in the study was 10.7 ± 4.2 years, and the male to female ratio was 1.8:1. Of the 212 children, AR, TR, DR, and IPR concerns were identified in 93 (44%), 61 (29%), 41 (19%), and three (1%) patients, respectively. Fourteen of the 212 (7%) patients had concerns spanning all four domains. Thirty-six (48%) of the 56 children aged ≤7 years were identified to have TR issues. Of the 99 children aged ≥13 years, 65 (61%) demonstrated AR issues.
Conclusions:
Children with cancer experience several psychosocial issues. They can be classified into specific clusters that differ across different age groups. The majority of patients with psychosocial concerns can be managed with psychotherapy.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...
01:30Psychosurgery
Historical Development of Psychosurgery
In the 1930s, Portuguese neurologist Antonio Egas Moniz introduced a surgical procedure designed...
01:16Kidney Transplant III: Nursing Management
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:27Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare: