Purpose: Cancer in childhood may disrupt normal developmental processes and cause psychosocial problems in adolescent survivors of childhood cancers (ACCSs). Previous studies report inconsistent findings. Study aims were to assess subjective well-being (SWB), psychological distress, and school contentment in survivors of three dissimilar childhood cancers. Patients and methods: Nordic patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), infratentorial astrocytoma (IA), and Wilms tumor (WT) in childhood from 1985 to 2001, aged ≥1 year at diagnosis, and aged 13-18 years at the time of study were eligible for this questionnaire-based survey that included items on SWB, psychological distress, school contentment, self-esteem, and personality traits; 65% (151/231) responded. An age-equivalent group from a Norwegian health survey (n=7910) served as controls. Results: The median age of ACCSs was 16 years; 52% were males. ACCSs reported better SWB (p=0.004) and self-esteem (p<0.001). They had fewer social problems in school (p=0.004) and their school contentment tended to be higher than controls. SWB and school contentment were positively influenced by self-esteem. However, ACCSs reported higher levels of psychological distress (p=0.002), mostly attributable to general worrying. No significant differences in outcomes were found across diagnoses, and time since diagnosis did not significantly affect the results. Conclusion: The overall emotional functioning of ACCSs was good, possibly due to changes in their perception of well-being after having survived a life-threatening disease. However, they seemed more worried than their peers. This may cause an additional strain at a vulnerable period in life.
Purpose: Cancer in childhood may disrupt normal developmental processes and cause psychosocial problems in adolescent survivors of childhood cancers (ACCSs). Previous studies report inconsistent findings. Study aims were to assess subjective well-being (SWB), psychological distress, and school contentment in survivors of three dissimilar childhood cancers. Patients and methods: Nordic patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), infratentorial astrocytoma (IA), and Wilms tumor (WT) in childhood from 1985 to 2001, aged ≥1 year at diagnosis, and aged 13-18 years at the time of study were eligible for this questionnaire-based survey that included items on SWB, psychological distress, school contentment, self-esteem, and personality traits; 65% (151/231) responded. An age-equivalent group from a Norwegian health survey (n=7910) served as controls. Results: The median age of ACCSs was 16 years; 52% were males. ACCSs reported better SWB (p=0.004) and self-esteem (p<0.001). They had fewer social problems in school (p=0.004) and their school contentment tended to be higher than controls. SWB and school contentment were positively influenced by self-esteem. However, ACCSs reported higher levels of psychological distress (p=0.002), mostly attributable to general worrying. No significant differences in outcomes were found across diagnoses, and time since diagnosis did not significantly affect the results. Conclusion: The overall emotional functioning of ACCSs was good, possibly due to changes in their perception of well-being after having survived a life-threatening disease. However, they seemed more worried than their peers. This may cause an additional strain at a vulnerable period in life.
Authors: Eyal Shemesh; Rachel A Annunziato; Benjamin L Shneider; Jeffrey H Newcorn; Jill K Warshaw; Christina A Dugan; Bruce D Gelb; Nanda Kerkar; Rachel Yehuda; Sukru Emre Journal: Pediatr Transplant Date: 2005-10
Authors: Inga M R Jóhannsdóttir; Marianne J Hjermstad; Torbjørn Moum; Finn Wesenberg; Lars Hjorth; Henrik Schrøder; Päivi Lähteenmäki; Gudmundur Jónmundsson; Jon H Loge Journal: J Cancer Surviv Date: 2010-01-16 Impact factor: 4.442
Authors: Marina Servitzoglou; Danai Papadatou; Ioannis Tsiantis; Helen Vasilatou-Kosmidis Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2007-06-12 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Brad J Zebrack; Lonnie K Zeltzer; John Whitton; Ann C Mertens; Lorrie Odom; Roger Berkow; Leslie L Robison Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2002-07 Impact factor: 9.703
Authors: E Anne Lown; Farya Phillips; Lisa A Schwartz; Abby R Rosenberg; Barbara Jones Journal: Pediatr Blood Cancer Date: 2015-12 Impact factor: 3.167
Authors: Kristen J Stefanski; Julia S Anixt; Pamela Goodman; Katherine Bowers; Wendy Leisenring; K Scott Baker; Karen Burns; Rebecca Howell; Stella Davies; Leslie L Robison; Gregory T Armstrong; Kevin R Krull; Christopher Recklitis Journal: J Natl Cancer Inst Date: 2021-04-06 Impact factor: 13.506