OBJECTIVE: This study examined psychological functioning in children with a history of cancer and a matched sample of healthy peers, while exploring the roles of disposition and stressful life events. METHOD: Participants were 255 children with a history of cancer and 101 demographically matched children (8-17 years). Children completed measures of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS); history of stressful life events; and dispositional factors, including optimism and a five-factor personality measure. RESULTS: Children with cancer did not differ from peers with regard to depression and PTSS, but reported significantly lower anxiety. In hierarchical regressions, children's depression, anxiety, and PTSS scores were largely predicted by dispositional variables and, to a lesser extent, stressful life events, after controlling for demographics and health status. CONCLUSION: Children's psychological functioning is predicted primarily by disposition, and secondarily by history of stressful life events, with health status (i.e., cancer versus control) accounting for minimal, and often non-significant variance in children's functioning. These findings further support that children with cancer are generally resilient, with factors predictive of their adjustment difficulties mirroring those of children without history of serious illness.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined psychological functioning in children with a history of cancer and a matched sample of healthy peers, while exploring the roles of disposition and stressful life events. METHOD:Participants were 255 children with a history of cancer and 101 demographically matched children (8-17 years). Children completed measures of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS); history of stressful life events; and dispositional factors, including optimism and a five-factor personality measure. RESULTS:Children with cancer did not differ from peers with regard to depression and PTSS, but reported significantly lower anxiety. In hierarchical regressions, children's depression, anxiety, and PTSS scores were largely predicted by dispositional variables and, to a lesser extent, stressful life events, after controlling for demographics and health status. CONCLUSION:Children's psychological functioning is predicted primarily by disposition, and secondarily by history of stressful life events, with health status (i.e., cancer versus control) accounting for minimal, and often non-significant variance in children's functioning. These findings further support that children with cancer are generally resilient, with factors predictive of their adjustment difficulties mirroring those of children without history of serious illness.
Authors: Kimberly S Miller; Kathryn Vannatta; Bruce E Compas; Michael Vasey; Katie D McGoron; Christina G Salley; Cynthia A Gerhardt Journal: J Pediatr Psychol Date: 2009-05-18
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Authors: Marylene Cloitre; Bradley C Stolbach; Judith L Herman; Bessel van der Kolk; Robert Pynoos; Jing Wang; Eva Petkova Journal: J Trauma Stress Date: 2009-09-30
Authors: Katianne M Howard Sharp; Jennifer J Lindwall; Victoria W Willard; Alanna M Long; Karen M Martin-Elbahesh; Sean Phipps Journal: Cancer Date: 2017-05-04 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: Katianne M Howard Sharp; Victoria W Willard; Sarah Barnes; Rachel Tillery; Alanna Long; Sean Phipps Journal: J Pediatr Psychol Date: 2017-01-01