Citation

Takei Y, Ogata A, Ozawa M, Moritake H, Hirai K, Manabe A, Suzuki SI. Pediatr. Int. 2014; 57(2): 239-246.

Affiliation

Departments and institutions: St.Luke's International Hospital, Faculty of medicine, University of Miyazaki Hospital.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Japan Pediatric Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/ped.12495

PMID

25203461

Abstract

BACKGROUND: With a large number of children surviving cancer worldwide, numerous investigations have assessed psychological and social adjustment among childhood cancer survivors. According to these studies, it is unclear whether childhood cancer survivors adjust their daily lives after being discharged from the hospital, especially for adolescent and young adult survivors who have unique needs and concerns. The primary aim of this study was to grasp the factors underlying psychosocial difficulties faced by adolescent and young adult survivors in their daily lives after being discharged from the hospital.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Twenty-five childhood cancer survivors were recruited from two regional cancer institutions in Japan. Content analysis was applied to the responses.

RESULTS: Nineteen attributes were extracted and classified into four categories as follows: physical difficulties, interpersonal difficulties, behavioral difficulties, and uncertainty about the future. The attributes indicated by over 50% of the participants were "I am worried about not feeling well," "I have difficulty continuing a treatment in daily life," "I have difficulty moving my body," "I have to be absent from school or work because of illness," and "I am left behind academically." CONCLUSIONS: This study grasped important factors of psychosocial daily difficulties. Clinically, these results suggest that it is important to watch for these signs and to provide early support to survivors so that their daily lives and developmental process are not hindered by the treatment and its side effects and to offer long-term support focusing on individual patient characteristics such as sex, age, and cancer history.

Language: en